Test Dont Read
by britmoe101
Summary: Test dont read
1. Test

Kurt is driven to extreme measures when his life at McKinley spirals out of control. A couple of months into his junior year, he transfers to Dalton Academy where he befriends a group of boys who refuse to let him be the victim and teach him how to love himself once more.

Trigger Warning: This story will have some extremely angsty moments. Rated M for mentions of cutting, sexual abuse, rape, and eventual smut.

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CHAPTER ONE

You're Not Alone

A couple of months into his junior year, Kurt Hummel was forced to leave his life behind in order to attend Dalton Academy, an all-boys private school with a strictly enforced zero-tolerance bullying policy. The torment Kurt endured at McKinley had officially gotten out of hand and he needed to escape. He tried to stay strong as the bullying worsened. He tried not to drown in his sorrow as everyday life became more unbearable with each passing day. But when Dave Karofsky forced himself on Kurt, he lost the will to keep fighting. Karofsky was Kurt's biggest fear, his worst nightmare. The same bully that tortured him for being gay was a closeted gay himself, and had no problem taking his confusion and anger out on Kurt. The first time it happened, it was barely a kiss. The next time it happened, Karofsky forced Kurt to touch him. It only worsened after that.

Kurt became quiet and withdrawn as the abuse escalated. His family and friends tried talking to him but he refused to acknowledge that anything was wrong. It wasn't until his step-brother Finn found him cutting that he was forced to answer questions. He didn't tell his family the extant of the bullying. He only shared what he felt was necessary enough to explain the cutting. He was far too worried about his father's heart to tell him that he'd been sexually abused at school. He didn't have to tell his father anything though. Burt knew there was much more to the story than what Kurt was letting on and the possibilities terrified him. The bright, confidant young man he raised was now a depressed, distant boy whose only outlet had become self-harm and he had no idea how to fix it.

Kurt stayed home from school the following two weeks while Burt tried to find a suitable option for his schooling. He spent days researching different schools and clinics in the area before finally settling on Dalton. Their zero-tolerance bullying policy was what caught Burt's attention, and after speaking with the dean, he knew that Dalton was the place for Kurt. Dalton was unlike any other school around. The school was filled with boys like Kurt who somehow lost control of their lives and Dalton was the place that helped them regain control. The dean assured Burt that Dalton would take Kurt under its wings and bring him back to his former self, a stronger self, and Burt was more than willing to pay the tuition if it meant getting his son back.

"This will be good for you, kiddo." Burt said to Kurt as they drove into the school. -6-

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It was a Friday afternoon in early October when they pulled into the school. Kurt knew that he would supposedly be safer there, but it was something he was having a hard time believing. He was certain that there would be at least one person that would make him a target but he didn't care. He would take being verbally abused and shoved against lockers over what Karofsky forced him to do any day. Kurt followed his dad into the administration office with his head down. The less eye contact he made with people, the better. He stayed quiet the entire time Burt talked with the dean, his thoughts too lost in his fears to pay attention at their conversation. It wasn't until Burt touched his arm that he began to listen. Burt frowned at how Kurt instantly flinched away.

"Kurt, I want you to know that this is a very good school. We strive for excellence and we teach our boys to be outstanding members of society. No one will hurt here. I understand your situation, it's not the first time I've seen it, and I personally promise you that you are safe here. If anyone even says anything to you that makes you uncomfortable, you come straight to me and they will be handled." The dean told him. Kurt nodded at the middle aged woman but said nothing. She gave his dad his class schedule, a map, and his room assignment before dismissing them from the meeting.

Kurt followed his dad to the dorms in silence, his heartbeat racing frantically. He was terrified of who his roommate would be. With his luck, it'll be someone who will torture him like Karofsky had. He forced himself to keep walking, even though his entire being was screaming at him to run and hide. He needed to do this for his dad. He needed to be "ok" so his father would stop worrying about him. He had already decided ahead of time that he would not tell anybody when the inevitable bullying started. He dealt with it before and he would deal with it again. As they reached his dorm room door, they heard two boys talking inside.

"I swear I'm going to shove that gavel straight up his ass if he pushes me today." One boy said. "Come on, David, he's not that bad." The other boy replied laughing.

"Are you kidding me? Blaine, he smacked the shit out me with his book in class today because I said that I didn't like his set list ideas. Mr. Roberts didn't even do anything about it!" David said in frustration.

"To be fair, you did set his lab on fire a few weeks ago. I'm not surprised that he didn't do anything when Wessmackedyou."Blainetoldhimapologetically. -7-

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"Details, details." David replied dismissively. Blaine and David were interrupted when Burt knocked on the door.

"Hey. You must be my new roommate." Blaine greeted with a smile when he opened the door. Kurt glanced up at Blaine for only a second before turning his gaze back on the ground. In that second, Blaine recognized the look in Kurt's eyes. It was the same distant fearful look he had when he first transferred to Dalton. "I'm Blaine Anderson. This is my friend, David Thompson." He said as he reached to shake Burt's hand.

"Burt Hummel. This is my son Kurt." Burt said as he shook hands with both boys. "Teacher's let students smack each other with books here?" he questioned.

"No sir!" Blaine answered quickly. "Please ignore David. He tends to overreact." He said, shooting David a look

"Uh, huh." Burt said, eyeing the boys. "I'm going to go get your stuff, you helping?" he asked Kurt. "We can help if you like." David offered with a bright smile.

"Sure, I'll take up on that." Burt told them and walked out with David and Blaine close behind.

Kurt took in his surroundings while he had the opportunity to be alone. The room was surprisingly big. It had two full size beds opposite from each other, two closets, two desks, one big window, a decent size bathroom, and enough room to still walk around. Kurt sat on the unused bed, assuming it was his, scooted all the way back, and rested his head on the wall. So kids beat each other up with books here. That's a new one. It's better than Karofsky...

"You like that Hummel? You like it when I touch you?" Karofsky asked.

"Stop, please. Just stop." Kurt said crying.

"Answer my question!" Karofsky snarled, slamming Kurt into the shelves of the supply closet. "...y-yes..." Kurt lied. He learned the hard way what would happen if he said no.

-8-

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Kurt shuddered at the memory, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around himself protectively. He can't touch me here. He can't. Unless someone else touches you. No! I'm safe here. I'm safe here. Kurt hadn't realized that he was chanting 'I'm safe here', nor had he realized that he was swaying back and forth. It had become second nature to him to do it whenever he thought back on what he'd done. When things got really bad and he couldn't shake the memory off, he'd cut. It was the only thing that brought him back to reality.

Blaine walked into the room with one of Kurt's boxes and found him swaying as he muttered to himself. He stood there for a moment, paralyzed by the sight in front of him. There was no denying that Kurt was incredibly attractive, and it pained Blaine to see such a beautiful boy broken. "Hey, are you ok?" He asked with concern.

Kurt looked up at Blaine, getting lost in the honey amber eyes for a second, before shaking his head. "I'm fine." Kurt replied automatically. He had stopped his swaying but continued to hold his knees protectively. Blaine sent him a small, comforting smile as he set the box down before walking out of the room again.

Within the next 15 minutes, Burt, Blaine, and David finished bringing Kurt's things in. Kurt stayed on the bed, holding his knees up the entire time, and watched his father interact with the two boys. They seemed nice enough, but he knew better than anyone that nothing was as it seemed. Once the boxes were unloaded, David and Blaine stayed outside in the hallway in order to give Burt and Kurt some privacy to say goodbye.

"If you need anything son, anything at all, do not hesitate to call." Burt said firmly. "Ok Dad." Kurt nodded, knowing full well that he would do no such thing.

"I'm serious, Kurt. You can call me day or night and I will be there for you." Burt said as he pulled Kurt into an embrace. "You're going to be fine here. I love you son."

Kurt tensed for a second before returning the hug. "Love you too, Dad."

Burt gave his son one final look, his heart aching at the sight of his broken son, and once again prayed that he would be ok. Reluctantly, he walked out of the room and made his way towards the front of the building, only to be stopped in the hallway by Blaine.

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-9-

The sincerity in Blaine's voice brought a slight tear to Burt's eyes. "Thank you, Blaine. I appreciate that." "Of course, sir." Blaine replied with a small smile. Burt matched his smile, thanked one more time, and

finally left.

\- 10 -

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"Mr. Hummel, is there anything I should know about Kurt?" Blaine asked him cautiously. He figured he should try and get as much information as possible while he had the chance. He hoped to be able to help his new roommate the way Nick had helped him.

"Exactly what do you mean by that?" Burt asked defensively.

"I didn't mean to offend you, sir." Blaine quickly amended. "Dean Morrison told me that Kurt's situation was similar to mine and I just wanted to see if there was anything I needed to know in order to help him." When Burt didn't answer him but looked at him curiously, Blaine decided to elaborate. He pulled his sleeves up to show Burt his old scars. "I used to get night terrors too. It took me a long time to be ok, but being here really helped me out."

Burt eyed Blaine carefully for a moment before sighing. "The only thing I can tell you is to keep an eye on him and don't leave him alone for too long. I think he goes somewhere else when he's left alone and I don't think it's somewhere he needs to be." He said quietly.

"Does he sing or play sports or anything? The groups here are really close and we watch out for each other like brothers. Being involved in something could be his first step to healing." Blaine told him.

Burt was caught off guard by Blaine's use of the term 'healing.' He wondered exactly how many boys were sent to that school to do just that. "As a matter of fact, he sings. Or well, he used to. He loved it quite a bit actually but...he hasn't sung in a while." Burt said sadly, missing the days where Kurt would get on his last nerve by singing his Broadway tunes throughout the house.

"I understand. Sometimes, when life becomes too much to handle, people quit doing the things they enjoy the most." Blaine replied, briefly remembering the darkest days of his life. "I know we've just met, and you have no reason to trust me, but I'll try and help Kurt as best as I can."

Blaine walked back to the room expecting Kurt to still be sitting on his bed. He was surprised to see that he was up and unpacking his things. That's something. I didn't unpack for days. "Would you like some help?" He asked politely.

"Sure." Kurt shrugged, not sparing Blaine a glance.

Blaine picked up one of the boxes and began unpacking. "So, what brings you to Dalton?" He asked, not expecting an answer. When Kurt didn't reply, he continued talking. "I remember my first day at Dalton. I didn't talk to anyone either." Kurt still said nothing.

They unpacked in silence for the next twenty minutes, Blaine doing his best not stare. He was transfixed by Kurt's beauty and he couldn't help but sneak glances at him. Kurt missed the questioning, curious looks from Blaine though. He was too lost in his mind to notice.

Shortly after they finished unpacking, Blaine got up to leave for Warbler rehearsal. "Do you want to come? You aren't a Warbler but it's always fun to sit and listen." Blaine told him, hoping that Kurt would say yes but expecting a no.

"No thanks." Kurt replied. Blaine nodded and walked towards the door.

"Kurt," Blaine said before he left. "I know this hard, but things will get better. When I transferred here, I felt completely alone. I thought that no one would understand me or what I went through but I was wrong. I want you to know that if you need to talk, I'm here. I know you don't know me and you may not even care, but I promise you're not alone." When Kurt stayed quiet, Blaine turned around and reached for the door.

"Why did you come to Dalton?" Kurt suddenly asked, surprising both Blaine and himself.

Blaine turned to look at Kurt, a small bubble of hope growing inside him. "It's a bit of a long story, but basically I transferred because I was bullied for being gay." He answered softly.

"Was it hard? Getting over it?" Kurt asked quietly, despite the voice in his head telling him to stop talking before it got him in trouble.

"Yes, and it still is. It probably always will be. Joining the Warblers has really helped me though. They were my rock when I was at my weakest." Kurt wiped a stray tear away as Blaine continued. "You're not alone,

\- 11 -

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Kurt. I know it seems like it now but you're not." Kurt nodded but said nothing. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Maybe we can hang out, get to know each other better?" Blaine suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Kurt shrugged, even though he had no intention of doing so. Blaine smiled softly, wishing he could stay and talk with Kurt, before finally leaving for Warblers rehearsal.

Blaine ran all the way to the Warbler hall, his thoughts lingering on Kurt. Wes was on a rampage and the last thing he needed was to be late. Luckily, he arrived with a few minutes to spare.

"Hey, how's the new kid?" his best friend Nick asked him as soon as he walked in.

"He's ok I guess." Blaine told him with a half shrug. "He's pretty quiet."

"Yeah, that's what David told me. Do you know what happened?" Nick asked curiously.

"No. I asked but he didn't say anything. Whatever it was really broke him, I can tell." Blaine said sadly. "Broke him like it broke you?" Nick asked, instantly concerned.

"I think so." Blaine said quietly.

"Well then, we'll just have to show him that being here is a good thing." Nick said confidently. "That we will, Nick. That we will." Blaine agreed.

Blaine only paid partial attention to Warbler practice that night. His mind kept going back to how he was when he first arrived at Dalton and how much Kurt reminded him of his old self. He didn't know what it was that had broken Kurt, but he would do his best to help the beautiful boy the way his friends had helped him.

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\- 12 -

CHAPTER TWO

I Understand

"Oh yeah Hummel. That feels so good." Karofsky moaned.

Karofsky's hand was clutching Kurt's hair as he forced Kurt to suck him off. Kurt was crying, disgusted in himself for doing it.

"Quit fucking crying and take it Hummel!" Karofsky growled, pulling Kurt's hair violently. Kurt gagged for the millionth time and pulled off in order to vomit. "Get your fucking fairy face back over here! I'm not done with you!

Kurt woke up abruptly, soaking in sweat. It took him a few minutes to realize that he wasn't in the supply closet, nor was he at home, but at Dalton. He tried shaking the memory off but couldn't. He felt disgusting and pathetic. He got off the bed and headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He brushed ferociously, desperate to make the memory and all the emotions attached to it disappear but it wasn't working. He quickly ran over to his bag in search for the razor he hid. His father of course found it and took it out unbeknownst to him. Kurt threw his bag on the bed and walked back into the bathroom. Blaine has to have a razor. Where the hell is it? After searching the bathroom and finding nothing, he started getting desperate.

He searched the room for scissors, a razor, anything to make it stop, but found nothing. Kurt felt the bile make its way up so he rushed over to the toilet and vomited. He was completely and utterly disgusted in himself. He needed to release before he completely lost it. Without realizing, he started to sing. It started off as low mumbles but slowly grew louder. For a few moments, Kurt lost himself in the song, forgetting the dream, forgetting his pain.

During those few moments, Blaine came back from Warbler practice. He heard Kurt singing from outside the door and couldn't help but think that it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard. He slowly opened the door and walked in to find Kurt in the bathroom. He didn't want to interrupt his singing, especially since Burt told him he didn't sing anymore, but he didn't want Kurt to feel like he was spying on him either.

"Kurt?" Blaine said cautiously. Kurt immediately stopped singing and turned around to see Blaine standing at the bathroom door. "Are you ok?" Blaine asked when he noticed that Kurt had been crying.

\- 13 -

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"I'm fine." Kurt said quickly, cursing himself as he wiped the tears away. "Hey Blaine, you coming?" Nick asked as he opened the bedroom door.

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"Yeah, I'll be right there." Blaine told him. "We're going hang out in the common room, you want to join?" he asked Kurt.

"No thanks." Kurt said shaking his head.

"Are you sure? It'll be fun and it's better than being alone." Blaine said smiling sweetly. Kurt hesitated so Blaine stepped a little closer. He wasn't surprised when Kurt cowered back. "Come on, Kurt. Do you really want to be left alone with your thoughts?" Blaine asked knowingly. No, he didn't want to be left alone with his thoughts. That was always dangerous for him.

"Ok, I'll hang out." Kurt agreed quietly.

"Great. Come on." Blaine said as he offered Kurt his hand. Kurt eyed Blaine for a moment before accepting his hand and letting Blaine lead him into the common room.

"Guys, this is Kurt. Kurt this is Wes, Nick, Jeff, Thad, and Trent. You already know David." Blaine said with a comforting smile. There was something about the way the Blaine smiled at him that made him forget how disgusting he was.

"Hi." Kurt said just above a whisper.

"Hey Kurt. Welcome to Dalton." Nick greeted. "You have a choice of playing Marvel: Ultimate Alliance or any one of these board games."

Kurt glanced at the board games, letting a faint smile come across his face when he saw his childhood favorite.

"One catch your eye?" Blaine asked curiously. "Yeah, Battleship's my favorite." Kurt said softly.

\- 14 -

"Oh I'll play battleship with you!" Trent said quickly.

"Ok, sure." Kurt shrugged. Kurt walked over to the table Trent started setting up for the game and Blaine sat in the table next to theirs as Nick set up the chess set.

"I don't know why you insist on playing me. You know you're going to lose." Blaine teased Nick.

"Oh, please Anderson. I so got this." Nick teased back.

The next few hours were spent in the common room. Kurt had beaten Trent several times in battlefield, Blaine had annihilated Nick in chess, and the rest of the Warblers had been trying to defeat the same boss for an hour. Trent and Nick had switched to playing checkers, Kurt was watching the boys lose to the boss battle again, and Blaine was watching Kurt.

"You're doing it wrong." Kurt finally said after another failed attempt.

"What do you mean?" David asked, frustrated that they couldn't get passed the level.

"You're fighting him wrong. That's why you keep losing." Kurt said looking away, afraid of the backlash. "Well then here, you try." David said, getting up from where he was sitting to hand Kurt the Xbox remote.

Kurt took it slowly and looked back at the TV. Thad asked him what he thought they should do so Kurt quietly instructed them. He knew the game well because he and Finn played it often. Blaine couldn't help but wonder about what had happened to Kurt. He talked more than Blaine had expected, but he never smiled. Blaine had never seen anyone so sad before. At least he was talking to them though. When he first got there, it took the guys weeks to get him to hang out. He was glad that Kurt agreed so quickly, but was still worried about him. He got the feeling that Kurt's quick acceptance was due to the fact that he was desperate to be heard, even if he didn't realize it himself.

Blaine decided that he would do his best to help Kurt the way the Warblers had helped him. No one deserved to feel sad and broken, especially someone as breathtaking as Kurt. I'll talk to him about the Warblers tomorrow. He deserves some happiness in his life. We can offer him that. After finally beating the boss battle, thanks to Kurt, the boys decided to go off to bed. They thanked Kurt for helping them and Kurt simply shrugged in response. He followed Blaine back into the bedroom and went to sleep without another word.

\- 15 -

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When Kurt woke up that next morning, he was relieved that he hadn't had any nightmares. Since it was only 8am, he tried falling back to sleep. Tried but failed. His thoughts began to wander so he quickly got up and headed into the bathroom. He took a quick shower and got himself ready for the day. It used to take him hours to get ready, but after everything started happening, he lost the will to fix himself like he used to. Dressed in sweats and a simple shirt, he quietly left the room so Blaine could sleep. He wasn't surprised to find the hallway and common room empty. He made his way to the house kitchen, more out of curiosity then the desire to eat.

The kitchen was big enough to accommodate the 30 boys in Kurt's house which surprised him. It also looked like the kitchen was rarely used. He wondered if any of the boys even knew how to cook. He searched through the drawers, not looking for anything in particular. When he reached the silverware drawer, he noticed that they were plastic. Why would a school with so much money have plastic cutlery? As he continued to search, he realized that he had all the ingredients he would need to bake cookies. It had been a long while since he baked but for whatever reason, he had the urge to do it. Without a second thought, he put on the apron that looked brand new, took out all the ingredients, and started baking.

About halfway through his baking process, he had started singing. Unlike the night before, he became aware of the fact that he was singing again very quickly. Part of him was screaming at him to stop singing, that it was dangerous even. But another part of him missed it so much that it pushed the negativity away. He had barely been there a day and he already felt safer than he ever did at McKinley. He was enjoying the current simplicity of his life so much that he hadn't noticed Wes standing in the doorway.

"You've got an amazing voice, Kurt." Wes said, startling him. He instantly dropped the spatula and the mixing bowl on the floor.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I'll clean up and get out of your way." Kurt said quickly, scrambling to clean up the mess, terrified of the consequence.

"Hey, it's cool." Wes assured him. "You don't need to rush out of here. You didn't wake me either. I always get up this early."

"Why don't you sleep in?" Kurt asked him as he cleaned the batter off the floor. - 16 -

"I try to but my internal clock never lets me." Wes shrugged. "So, you sing?"

"Not really." Kurt replied, refusing to look at Wes.

"That's too bad. You've got a great voice. The Warblers could use you." Wes said sincerely. Kurt nodded but said nothing. "Do you usually bake this early?" He asked, reaching over to grab a cookie off the cooling rack.

"No. I actually haven't baked in a while. I don't know what made me do it today." Kurt told him as he began cleaning the dishes he used.

"I don't know and I don't care! These are amazing!" Wes exclaimed.

"Thanks." Kurt said softly. He hadn't noticed the small smile on his face, but Wes did.

"Well, I'll get out your way. Most of the guys will be up soon so fair warning, once they smell baked goods, they become 5 year olds." Wes laughed. Kurt nodded his thanks and continued with his baking, relieved that Wes wasn't upset with him for the mess.

The first thing Blaine noticed when he woke up was the fact that Kurt was out of bed. He couldn't help but worry about where Kurt possibly was. He remembered sneaking off when he first arrived at Dalton. It was never good when he did. As he slipped his shirt on, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Blaine called out.

"Morning, Blaine." Wes greeted as he walked in. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Blaine replied. "You haven't seen Kurt by chance, have you?"

"I have actually. He's in the kitchen baking cookies." Wes told him as he took a seat at Blaine's desk. "Really?" Blaine asked surprised.

"Mhm." Wes nodded. "I heard him singing and he's incredibly talented. The Warblers could use him." - 17 -

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"I think he could use the Warblers." Blaine replied softly.

"Do you know if he...?"Wes trailed off, knowing that Blaine would know what he meant.

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Blaine sighed and shrugged. "Not that he's told me, but I think so. Morrison said his situation was similar to mine but I don't know the extent of it."

"He talks more than you did." Wes pointed out.

"Yeah I know, but he's so sad. I look at him and see a broken boy. I don't think our situations are the same, but I think the end result is." Blaine said thoughtfully.

"Well, the only way we're going to find out is by being his friend. We'll be there for him when he needs us just like we were with you." Wes said confidently. Blaine nodded and agreed. It might take some time, but they would show Kurt that being at Dalton really was a good thing.

After his talk with Wes, Blaine made his way down to the kitchen expecting to find Kurt alone. He was surprised to see that David, Trent, Jeff, and Nick were also there.

"Blaine! You have got to try these cookies! I think I'm in love with him!" David said excitedly.

"You said the same thing about me when I cooked dinner a few nights ago, David." Blaine said laughing. "Details, details." David replied waving his hand dismissively.

"You cook?" Kurt asked surprised.

"Yeah. I like the aspect of being able to create magic with food." Blaine said smiling charmingly.

"Me too." Kurt replied with the first genuine smile Blaine had seen from him.

"Hey Kurt, can I ask you a personal question?" Trent said from the table.

Kurt's face instantly fell. "I guess."

\- 18 -

"Are you gay?" Trent asked. Kurt visibly flinched at the question just as Jeff and David both smacked Trent across the head.

"You don't have to answer that if you don't want to Kurt." Blaine assured him.

"Yeah Kurt, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I was just curious. It won't matter if you are. Blaine and I both are so I promise it's not a big deal." Trent tried assuring him.

"Yes, I'm gay." Kurt answered just above a whisper. "Excuse me." Kurt quickly ran out of the kitchen and headed straight to his room. He heard Blaine calling after him but he kept going. It was a big deal, despite Trent saying it wasn't. It's always been a big deal and it's always haunted him.

"Get out of my fucking way princess!" Karofsky snarled as he pushed Kurt against the locker.

"I hate you." Kurt said under his breath. He hadn't meant to say it, but it came out and it was too late.

Karofsky doubled back, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him into the wall.

"What the hell did you just say to me faggot?! You hate me?! I'm not the one infecting people with your fairy dust you homo!" Karofsky lifted his fist and punched him.

Kurt stormed into the room, looking for something, anything to make it stop.

"Kurt?" Blaine walked in the room to find Kurt frantic. "Kurt, are you ok?" Kurt wouldn't answer him. He wouldn't even look at him. He just kept muttering 'Make it stop' as he paced the room. "Make what stop? Kurt, I can't help you if you don't tell me what you need." That caught Kurt's attention.

"You can't help me! No one can! You don't understand! No one does!" Kurt yelled.

"Kurt." Blaine said softly as he took a step forward.

"No! Just stay away!" Kurt said hysterically.

"Kurt, if there's anyone here who understands, it's me." Blaine said, hoping that it would get Kurt's

attention.

\- 19 -

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Kurt looked up at Blaine, curiosity mixed with fear, just as he rolled his sleeves back. His breath hitched and he froze when he saw Blaine's old scars. Blaine slowly walked over to Kurt, making sure that his eyes construed nothing but understanding. He reached for Kurt's arm, relieved that Kurt hadn't flinched, and rolled his sleeves back, revealing both old and new scars.

"I know it's hard, Kurt. I know how it feels to lose control, to feel worthless." Blaine said in a whisper. "But it gets better, I promise."

"How?" Kurt asked, his voice breaking.

"I joined the Warblers. I talked to my friends. I didn't let it eat me alive." Blaine replied, his thumb gently caressing Kurt's scars.

"I don't...I don't think I can." Kurt said, finally looking away.

"Yes, you can." Blaine said softly as he reached up and lifted Kurt's face. "I know you can. I can help you, Kurt. You just have to let me in."

Kurt couldn't hold it in anymore. The sincerity in Blaine's voice combined with Kurt's need to let go was too much for him to handle. He fell on the floor and cried. Blaine held Kurt tightly as Kurt clutched onto him. He sang softly as Kurt's crying turned into a sob and continued to sing until the tears turned into quiet murmurs. Blaine held him there until he finally stopped crying and fell asleep.

\- 20 -

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CHAPTER THREE

The Warblers

About ten minutes after Kurt fell asleep in Blaine's arms, Blaine lifted him up carefully and placed him on his bed. He lightly brushed Kurt's bangs out of his face, remembering his own breakdowns and how exhausted he always felt after. It became obvious to him that Kurt was bullied for being gay, but he got the feeling that there was so much more to it. He lingered by the doorway for a moment, making sure that Kurt really was asleep before quietly walking out. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he was bombarded by his friends.

"Is he ok?" Nick asked.

"Did you talk to him? What was all that?" David asked.

"Does he hate me? Did I offend him? I didn't mean to!" Trent said.

"Guys, one at time." Blaine told them, ushering them away from the door.

"Sorry B, he just freaked us out." Nick said quietly.

"I know. He freaked me out too." Blaine sighed.

"So, what's up?" David asked with concern.

"Honestly, I don't know. I found him having a panic attack. I think he was looking for something to use to cut." Blaine said sadly.

"Awe no!" Trent gasped.

"Yeah. I don't think you offended him or anything. I think you made him remember something and that's what set him off." Blaine told Trent.

"I didn't mean to, really." Trent said sadly.

"Why'd you ask him anyway?" David asked Trent. - 21 -

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"I think he's cute and I was curious." Trent said shrugging. "Really Trent? Really?" Nick said in disbelief.

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"What?! I'm sorry but it's the truth." Trent said. "Don't act like you don't he's cute too." he said to Blaine who was shaking his head at him.

I don't think he's cute. I think he's beautiful.

"That's beside the point, Trent." Blaine said with a small smile. "Listen, I'm going to get back in there. He kind of cried himself to sleep in my arms and he's probably going to want to talk once he wakes up."

"Alright. Try and bring him to Warbler practice tonight. I think it'll be really good for him." David told him.

"Yeah, I think so too." Blaine agreed. "I'll talk to you guys later." Blaine said goodbye to his friends and quietly walked back in the room.

"What do you want?" Kurt asked venomously. Karofsky ignored his question and kissed him hard. Kurt used all his force to push Karofsky off, only angering Karofsky in the process.

"What the fuck is your problem Hummel! Am I not good enough for you? Do you think you're better than me?"

"I am better than you and no you are not good enough for me! You're vile and disgusting and I would never be with you!" Kurt said angrily.

"Oh that's where you're wrong Hummel! I'm the only one that will ever touch you because everyone thinks you're a disgusting homo! But I know better." Karofsky said seductively, pressing his lips against Kurt's once more.

Kurt tried pushing him off once more but Karofsky was too strong for him. When he felt Karofsky's hand make its way to his crotch, a whole new panic set in.

"No! Stop!" Kurt yelled into Karofsky's mouth.

\- 22 -

"Shut it Hummel!" Karofsky said as he grabbed Kurt's ass.

"This can't be happening!" Kurt cried.

"It is happening! Deal with it. Enjoy it." Karofsky all but purred.

"No stop! Oh God! Please stop!"

"Stop! Please! Stop!"

Blaine was sitting at his desk doing homework when he heard Kurt yell out. "Stop! Stop!" Kurt yelled again.

Blaine quickly walked over to Kurt's bed and sat on the edge.

"Kurt?" Blaine said quietly.

"No! Don't!"

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"Kurt, wake up. You're dreaming." Blaine said but Kurt continued to thrash on the bed. "Kurt, wake up!" Blaine said louder as he shook him slightly. Kurt's eyes abruptly opened and he quickly sat up gasping for air. He took his surroundings in only for a second before attempting to get up.

"Kurt, stop." Blaine said, keeping him in the bed.

"Let go!" Kurt snapped. "I gotta...I need..."

"To cut?" Blaine asked knowingly. "I'm not letting you and no one else here will."

"But...I just..." Kurt tried to come up an excuse that would make Blaine let him so he could find something, anything. I need to do it. Why can't Blaine get that?

"But nothing Kurt." Blaine said firmly. "Sing." "What? I don't sing!" Kurt snapped.

\- 23 -

"Yes, you do. Sing, distract yourself. I'll even sing with you." Blaine told him.

Kurt was shaking but began singing. It only took Blaine a few seconds to recognize the Lady Gaga song and started to sing along. Kurt soon forgot to be self-conscious, he forgot about his dream, and instead he just sang. By the end of the song, he had stopped shaking and was even smiling a little.

"Better?" Blaine asked softly.

"Much. Thank you." Kurt said quietly. "I'm sorry for being such a hassle."

"Hey no." Blaine said quickly. "You are not a hassle, Kurt. You're a new friend that I want to help. There's nothing to apologize for."

"I just...I don't know how to...to..."

"Handle everything? I didn't either at first." Blaine told him. "Want to know my secret?" Kurt nodded and was taken aback by Blaine's smile because, wow. "I sang. I joined the Warblers and I sang. I still have to sing every so often to keep myself level. It's an everyday battle Kurt, but it does get better."

"Do you think I should join?" Kurt asked, bringing his knees up protectively.

"Yes I do, but only when you're ready." Blaine told him. "It helped me tremendously. I stopped having

nightmares and I started to feel like me again. It could be the same for you." "You had nightmares?" Kurt questioned.

"I did. My roommate at the time used to have to drench me in water to wake me up because I was so deep in it." Blaine said half joking. "If you hadn't woken up I would've done it to you."

"I would've stolen all your hair products to prevent you from ruining your hair if you did that." Kurt quipped automatically.

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with my hair!" Blaine said defensively. - 24 -

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"Oh please. If a bird landed on your head it would get stuck." Kurt said sassier than he meant to. He immediately looked down, waiting for the backlash from Blaine. He was surprised when Blaine laughed instead.

"You've been here a day and you're already doggin on my hair. You are going to be just fine here." Blaine assured him.

Kurt looked back up at him to see that Blaine was smiling sweetly at him. He looked for malice in Blaine's eyes, but found nothing except sincerity. Kurt hadn't realized that he was smiling back at Blaine, but Blaine did, only making him smile wider.

"Come on. Let's go get some lunch." Blaine said as he stood up.

"Lunch? What time is it?" Kurt asked.

"It's a little after 12. I'm sure you're hungry, come on." Blaine told him.

"I'm...not actually." Kurt lied. He was hungry but he never ate. He had barely eaten in months though, despite the hunger pains in his stomach.

"Yes you are, don't lie to me." Blaine said with a smirk. How the hell does he always know?! "Come on." Blaine said again, holding his hand out to Kurt. Kurt sighed heavily but took Blaine's hand nonetheless and let him lead the way.

Kurt followed Blaine to the cafeteria in silence. It was odd for him to walk down a school hall without being harassed. He figured that most of the boys were home for the weekend and he doubted that come Monday morning, he wouldn't get bullied. Then again, Blaine and Trent were both gay and they seemed to be happy. Maybe this school really would be different. Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about getting shoved into lockers. He might actually be safe there, but he really doubted it. It would take a miracle for him not to get bullied and he didn't believe in miracles. He lost faith in them when his mother died.

When they got closer to the cafeteria, Blaine stopped him for a moment. "Alright so I should warn you before we go in there." Blaine said smirking. "The Warblers are...interesting to say the least. They're all

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\- 25 -

really good guys but they tend to talk before thinking. Some of them get over excited but I promise they mean you no harm."

"...ok." Kurt said quietly. What the hell does he mean by that?

"You'll be fine, trust me." Blaine said with a small laugh and turned around to walk in.

Trust him?

Kurt followed Blaine into the cafeteria, keeping his head down in the process. He had been so worried about making any kind of eye contact that he didn't notice the tall blond until he ran straight into him.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Please don't hit me!" Kurt said in one breath as he braced himself for whatever the blond had in mind.

"Why would I hit you?" the blond asked. Kurt looked up at him and saw pure confusion on his face. "I...just...I'm sorry." Kurt said quietly.

"It's cool new kid. No worries." He replied with a shrug. "I'm Andrew, but you can call me Beatz." "I'm Kurt." Kurt replied.

"Nice meeting you, Kurt. Watch where you're going next time." Beatz teased and walked off.

Kurt looked around for a moment, finding Blaine at the lunch line, and hurried over to him. He got himself a plate of food and followed Blaine to the Warbler table. There he saw David, Wes, Trent, Nick, and Beatz talking excitedly. He took the seat next Blaine and began eating his lunch silently. When the Warblers were talking about the upcoming sectionals competition, Kurt started paying attention.

"Come on guys, our competition is a group of elderly and those public school kids. We so got this!" David said confidently.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Kurt said unintentionally.

"Wait, what?" David asked. Kurt looked up to see everyone at the table looking at him curiously. - 26 -

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"I said I wouldn't be so sure. I'm sure you guys will do fine against the elderly group but I wouldn't be so confident against the New Directions." Kurt said with a half shrug.

"How do you know about the New Directions?" Blaine asked him curiously.

"I uh...used to be one of them." Kurt said cautiously.

"No way?!" Wes said excitedly. "Do you know what they're singing?"

"No. They change the set list faster than they change sexual partners." Kurt told them, making them chuckle lightly.

"Wait, so if you were in the New Directions, does that mean you're a good singer?" Beatz asked him. "No, not really." Kurt answered, quickly looking away.

"I beg to differ." Blaine said smiling.

"Yeah, me too. You're a wonderful singer Kurt." Wes said.

"Thanks." Kurt shrugged.

"So why shouldn't we be so confident against them?" David asked him.

"Well, they may be a mess sometimes, but they're really good." Kurt said truthfully.

"Guess we'll just have bring our A game then." Wes said firmly.

"That we will!" David agreed.

The Warblers fell back into conversation while Kurt sat there half listening. It wasn't until Trent said his name that he looked up from his food.

"Hey Kurt. I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I didn't mean to offend or anything." Trent said sadly. "It's ok. You didn't offend me." Kurt assured him. - 27 -

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"So, you don't hate me?" Trent asked hopefully. "No, I don't hate you." Kurt said a small smile. "Ok good." Trent said relieved.

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Kurt didn't say anything for the rest of his lunch nor did any of the Warblers try talking to him. They knew that Kurt was trying to adjust and they didn't want to scare him off. After he finished eating, he excused himself from the table and went back to his room.

Just as Kurt entered the room, his phone started ringing. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was his dad. "Hey Dad." He answered as he sat on his bed.

"Hey kiddo. How was your first night?" Burt asked him. "It was good." Kurt told him.

"Good. How are you feeling?" Burt asked.

"I'm ok." Kurt replied.

"Good, good. Oh hold on, Finn wants to talk to you." Burt told him.

"Hey Kurt!" Finn said excitedly.

"Hi Finn." Kurt replied with a faint smile.

"Hey so like, have you met any Warblers?" Finn asked quickly.

"Seriously Finn? That's what you wanted to talk to me about?" Kurt said irritably. "What? I'm just curious." Finn told him.

\- 28 -

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes before answering. "Yes Finn, I've met several Warblers. In fact, my roommate is a Warbler, and no I'm not spying for you."

"Dude I wasn't going to ask you spy!" Finn quickly amended. "I mean yeah, Rachel wanted me to ask you to but I wouldn't do that!"

"Right." Kurt replied with another eye roll.

"So like, are you going to join?" Finn asked him just as Blaine returned to the room.

"I don't know, maybe." Kurt told him.

"But if you join, we'll be competing against each other." Finn said sadly.

"I know that Finn. I'm still not sure if I'm going to join but I think I want to." Kurt told him, daring a quick glance over to Blaine who was watching him curiously.

"I guess it'd be good if you joined bro. If it means that you start singing again I say go for it. Rachel won't be happy though." Finn said laughing.

"Yes well, Rachel can get over it. I'm going to go. Tell my dad I'll call him later." "Alright. Later Kurt."

"Bye Finn."

A few minutes after he hung up with Finn, he got several texts from his old friends about the Warblers. Jeez, Finn. Did you have to text everyone so damn quickly? Most were words of encouragement that Kurt couldn't help but smile at. While he never actually quit the Glee club, he had stopped participating. That should've told his friends that something was wrong with him, but it hadn't. They just thought he was tired of fighting Rachel for solos.

"I think that's the most I've ever seen you smile." Blaine commented.

"What? Oh, right." Kurt said quietly. Kurt's smile fell however when he read the text from Rachel.

\- 29 -

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"What is it?" Blaine asked him.

Kurt cleared his throat before reading the text Rachel sent him. "Kurt, while I totally understand your desire to sing again I don't think it's a good idea that you join the Warblers. It will make you my competition and as friends I really don't think that's healthy. I would love for you to come to Sectionals and support us though!"

"Who sent that?" Blaine asked in disbelief.

"Rachel Berry. She's the lead soloist for the New Directions and she's really good about making everything about herself." Kurt said rolling his eyes.

"She doesn't sound very nice." Blaine said frowning.

"She's Rachel." Kurt shrugged.

"So you're thinking about joining?" Blaine asked casually, trying not to get his hopes up.

"Yeah, maybe. I might even do it just to piss Rachel off." Kurt said with a small laugh.

"I really think you should. Why don'nt you come to practice tonight, see what we're all about?" Blaine asked with a bright smile.

Seriously, how can someone have such an attractive smile? Shut up! Stop thinking that!

"Yeah, ok." Kurt said shyly. "Great." Blaine said still smiling.

When Warbler practice came around, Kurt was both curious and nervous. He had no idea how they worked but he had the feeling that they were completely different from the New Directions. Blaine had already told Kurt about Wes and his gavel which made him nervous. He knew there was really no reason to be nervous but he couldn't help it. When he and Blaine arrived, Blaine was immediately taken away by

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David who was mid argument with Wes. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, flinching when someone placed there hand on his shoulder.

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Beatz said behind him.

"It's ok." Kurt said quietly.

"Are you joining?" Beatz asked him curiously.

"I don't know, maybe. I just came to watch." Kurt told him.

"Well, if the council ever decides on what we're singing than maybe you actually can." Beatz said loudly. "Can it Beatz! We're trying to figure it out!" Thad yelled out.

"Figure it out faster!" Beatz yelled back. "Come on, you can sit over here if you like." He said to Kurt, gesturing to one of the couches.

Kurt nodded and made his way over to the couch. While he sat there, he met Jeff through Nick. He quickly figured out that Jeff was way too enthusiastic for his own good. He had even made a comment about Jeff's need to cut down on sugar making Nick and Beatz laugh loudly.

"But I love candy! It's sweet and delicious like me!" Jeff had told him.

As uncomfortable as he felt, Kurt couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. The energy of the boys was infectious and he was surprised that he liked it so much. When the council decided on a song to rehearse, Kurt sat quietly and waited for them to perform. He was shocked that they were an acapella group and even more shocked when he saw just how good they were. He knew Blaine could sing but he didn't realize just how amaizng he really was nor did he know that he was the lead soloist.

There was something almost magical about the way they performed. New Directions has some serious competition. By the time their practice ended, Kurt had decided that he would join. He couldn't help but smile the entire time, even when Wes went gavel crazy, and he had realized just how much he wanted to be a part of something again. His momentary happiness came crashing down however when his phone vibrated with a new text.

\- 31 -

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I'll find you Hummel. You can't hide forever. – Karofsky

\- 32 -

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CHAPTER FOUR

Boy's Night

"You can run but you can't hide Hummel!" Kurt heard Karofsky yell from a distance. Kurt had stayed after school that day to work on a paper in the library. He figured he'd be safe and that all the jocks would have already left. All of them did but one. He was currently hidden behind some heavy shelves in the back.

"Come out come out wherever you are." Karofsky taunted loudly. He was getting closer to where Kurt was hiding. Kurt's heartbeat was so loud that he could hear it. He begged silently that Karofsky wouldn't find him. He heard Karofsky's footsteps get closer and froze. This was it. Karofsky was going to find him and have his way with him in the back of the empty library.

"Hey! What are you doing in here! The library is closed!" The librarian yelled out. Karofsky glared at her before talking just loud enough for Kurt to hear.

"I'll find you Hummel. You can't hide forever."

Blaine made his way through the Warblers who were all talking excitedly and panicked a little at the sight of Kurt. Kurt was still sitting on the couch but his knees were up to his chest and he was swaying back and forth. Kurt was gripping the phone tightly, his eyes were shut, and he was mumbling the words 'Please don't find me.'

"Kurt?" Blaine said softly, taking a seat next to him. "Kurt?!" he said louder, trying to get his attention.

Beatz, Wes, and Nick noticed what was happening and hurried over to the couch. Blaine saw Kurt's grip on his phone and pried it out of his hand, frowning at the message he saw. He passed the phone to Beatz, who was closest to them, and gently caressed Kurt's cheek.

"Kurt, you're ok. Everything's fine." Blaine said softly. Kurt was looking at him but wasn't focusing on him, his mind still lost in the memory.

Blaine started singing 'Hey Soul Sister' since they had just finished rehearsing it, never taking his eyes away from Kurt's. Kurt subconsciously began singing with him, not realizing that the rest of the Warblers were now surrounding him. Beatz started beat boxing as the other Warblers began to sing along. About halfway through the song, Kurt had stopped swaying and his voice grew louder. Blaine smiled as Kurt

\- 33 -

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Contents came back from whatever memory he was having and was thrilled when Kurt smiled back at him. Maybe he's not as lost as I thought he was. When the song ended, Kurt closed his eyes and took in a few deep

breaths before looking back up at Blaine.

"Thanks." Kurt whispered.

"Of course, it's why I'm here. It's why we're here." Blaine said softly.

Kurt suddenly realized that all the Warblers were watching him with concern, making him extremely self- conscience. He stiffened up immediately and looked away from Blaine in embarrassment. Wes shooed the Warblers away in order to give Kurt some space. The boys dissipated, talking amongst themselves, with the exception of Wes, Nick, Beatz, David, Jeff, and Blaine.

"I'm sorry for being such a hassle." Kurt said, wiping a stray tear away.

"Kurt, I already told you that you aren't a hassle. You need to stop thinking that." Blaine said sadly.

"You know what, I think we need a boys night." David said suddenly.

"David." Wes said in a warning tone.

"I'm serious. We'll make some popcorn and watch a movie or something." David said seriously.

"I think it's a great idea." Beatz jumped in.

"What do you say, Kurt? Want to have a guy's night with these crazies over here?" Blaine asked smirking, knowing that they all would act hurt at his accusation of them being crazy.

Kurt looked up at the Warblers, all of whom were wearing the same hopeful expression, and couldn't suppress the small laugh that escaped his mouth. "Yeah, ok." He shrugged.

"Awesome!" Jeff said excitedly. "I'll raid the kitchen for snacks!" "I'll get a few movies." Nick said.

"I'll get the sleeping bags!" David jumped in.

\- 34 -

All of them jumped in surprise when Kurt's phone suddenly rang out. Beatz, who was still holding the phone, handed it back to Kurt. "It's my dad. I'll see you guys up there." He answered the phone quickly and headed out of the rehearsal hall.

"Dude, what the hell was all that about?" Beatz asked as soon as Kurt was gone.

"I don't know. I'm assuming that Karofsky is the reason he's here though." Blaine told him.

"I don't like seeing him like that. He reminded me of Jimmy." Beatz said angrily.

"We need to talk to him. We need to get him to talk to us." Wes said firmly.

"Yeah but we can't push him to hard." Nick said.

"Let's do the sharing circle." Jeff suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." David agreed.

"Alright, let's do that. Let's do this in our room, that way he feels more comfortable." Blaine suggested. They all agreed on the terms of their night and headed in separate directions to get things ready.

When Blaine walked back into the room, he heard Kurt say goodbye to his dad. "Everything ok?" Blaine asked him.

"Yeah, everything's ok. He was just checking up on me." Kurt sighed.

"You're lucky you have a father who loves you so much, Kurt." Blaine said sadly. The tone in Blaine's voice made him curious about Blaine's relationship with his father. "We're doing the guy's night here, is that alright?"

"Yes, that's fine." Kurt nodded. "Cool." Blaine said smiling brightly.

\- 35 -

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"Do you ever not smile?" Kurt unintentionally asked.

"Why? Does it bother you? I can make my puppy face and be sad all the time if it suits you better." Blaine said, giving Kurt his best big eyed sad face.

"N-no. It doesn't bother me. I-I was just saying that you smile a lot." Kurt said flustered. If he thought that Blaine's smile was attractive, his puppy face was ridiculously adorable.

Blaine chuckled and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a happy guy." He told him, flashing him a toothy grin.

"You're kind of a dork too." Kurt said quietly in a teasing tone. He didn't know why he was talking to Blaine in such a manner, but there was something about him that made Kurt feel comfortable enough to tease.

"I'm sure the guys will tell you that I'm more than just 'kind of a dork'." Blaine laughed.

"Yeah he is!" David said suddenly as he walked in the door. "He's a huge dork. Don't let the dapper Mr. Anderson fool you into thinking otherwise."

"I wouldn't dream of fooling him." Blaine said flirtier than intended. He was seconds away from chastising himself but stopped when he noticed the blush on Kurt's face. Did I do that? Huh. He's cute when blushes.

"No, of course not." David smirked, noticing the change in the atmosphere between the two boys. He wondered briefly if he was imagining it but tucked the thought away for later and asked Blaine to help him set up the sleeping bags on the floor.

Within the next ten minutes, Beatz, Jeff, Wes, and Nick joined them in the room. They made themselves comfortable on the floor in a circle and casually talked about whatever came to mind for the next little while. Kurt didn't talk much, with the exception of a comment here and there, but he enjoyed watching the others interact. The conversations switched back and forth between music, movies, books, and cars. When they started on the cars, Kurt told them how his dad owned Hummel Lube and Tires and how they like to rebuild cars together. That sent him and Beatz into a whole new conversation while the others sat and listened.

\- 36 -

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As the night went on, Kurt became more comfortable. It was hard not to relax when the Warblers made it so easy. For the first time in months, Kurt was at ease. Wes took the opportunity to study Kurt. He decided that Kurt wasn't nearly as lost as they first assumed, but he was definitely broken and afraid. He could tell that Kurt wasn't exactly done fighting either, but simply used to the abuse. After Jeff made a joke, sending the group, including Kurt, into a fit of giggle, Wes decided it was a good time to start.

"So, Kurt. Exactly how much do you know about Dalton?" Wes asked when the laughter died down. "You mean other than it's a prestigious prep school?" Kurt replied sarcastically.

Wes chuckled lightly and nodded. "Yes, other than that."

"Not much really." Kurt shrugged. "My dad said something about Dalton taking care of their students but I assumed he was talking about the no bullying policy. I'm starting to think he meant something else though." The Warblers glanced at one another, all sharing the same soft smile.

"He did." Blaine replied softly, subconsciously scooting closer to Kurt. "What do you mean?" Kurt asked confused.

"Well, Dalton is different. It's not just a school but a place where we learn how to fight our inner demons, a place to heal." Blaine told him.

"...ok." Kurt said, shifting slightly.

"Dalton's students are more often than not struggling with something." Wes continued. "It could be anything from their parents' divorce to something deeper, darker. The nurses here are more than capable of helping the students through whatever ordeal, but we take care of each other so they don't have to. It's a little unorthodox, sure. But we create true, lasting friendships by being each other's strengths. We'd like to do that for you, if you let us."

"Um...ok. How?" Kurt asked.

"For starters, we talk. We sit in a circle and share personal information about ourselves. Like group

therapy except no one is required to talk. We sit and listen, judgment free, and we give each other advice. - 37 -

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We only go to the adults if we feel like it's absolutely necessary, but for the most part, we take care of each other." Nick said with a kind smile.

They want me to open up? They want me to tell them what happened? I don't think I can do that.

Sensing Kurt's apprehension, Blaine gingerly placed his hand on Kurt's knee and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You don't need to tell us anything if you don't want to, Kurt. No one is going to force you."

"Blaine's right. We can just tell you something about ourselves for now." David chimed in. "It took us weeks of doing this with Blaine before he opened up. There's no pressure."

"Um...ok...sure." Kurt said quietly.

"I'll go first." Wes said, taking a sip of his soda before continuing. "My life outside Dalton sucks. My parents got divorced when I was really little and my I've had at least 5 step-moms since then. Before Dalton, I acted out a lot and got into some pretty shitty situations just to get attention from my father, but he was too involved with his new wife at the time to care. I kind of became a control freak after that. I bossed my siblings around and yelled at them like a crazy person, just so I could feel like I mattered."

"What do you mean kind of? You're still a control freak." David teased.

"Hey!" Wes said in a defensive tone, playfully shoving David away. "Yeah ok, so I'm still a control freak, but whatever."

"What about your mom?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Don't know. She ran off with some European oversees and I haven't heard from her since." Wes said shrugging.

"Wow." Kurt said surprised.

"Yep. Who knows where I'd be if it wasn't for Dalton." Wes said, glancing at David so that he could go next. "I don't talk at home, like ever." David told Kurt.

"Really?" Kurt questioned, clearly unconvinced.

\- 38 -

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"Yep. Every time I do my asshole brother cuts me down." David said in irritation. "He's at Yale Law and he never misses an opportunity to make me feel like I'm a piece of crap. If it's not him being a douche, it's my parents talking about wonderful he is and how I need to be more like him. Once I figured out that I was never going to meet their standards, I quit talking all together."

"You not talking? I'll never believe it." Kurt teased. It had only been a day but Kurt had already noticed that David rarely shut up.

"Hey! I thought you were nice!" David said pouting.

"Sorry." Kurt said laughing.

"Eh, don't be. I think I overcompensate not talking at home by talking too much here." David shrugged.

"Yes, I'm sure that's it." Nick said rolling his eyes. "I fortunately enough don't have any real issues. In fact, my life is pretty boring. Both my parents are lawyers and I'm an only child. That's pretty much it. I usually go home to an empty house."

"You act like that's a bad thing." Jeff cut in. When Kurt looked at him in confusion he elaborated. "I have five siblings. After my parents had me they kept trying for more kids but it never happened. They went to some doctor to help them with it and my mom ended up with Quintuplets."

"Wow! Is that why you're so hyper?" Kurt asked with a smirk.

"Naw, I just eat too much sugar." Jeff laughed. "I need it to keep up with the brats. They just turned 8."

"At least you have siblings." Beatz said bitterly. Jeff looked at him apologetically and Beatz shrugged at him. "It's cool, not your fault." Beatz then turned his attention to Kurt. "I had a brother, James but we called him Jimmy. He would've been a sophomore at Dalton this year."

"Would've been?" Kurt asked cautiously.

"Yeah. He went to a public middle school and was bullied real bad for being gay. I would come home during the weekends to find him with bruises all over his body. I offered to kick the bully's ass but he wouldn't let me. He became real distant and withdrawn. No matter how much I tried talking to him he never told me how bad it really was. One night, my parents found him swaying in a corner, like how you

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were today on the couch. They left him alone, assuming he would be fine, but he wasn't. He hung himself that night." Kurt covered his mouth and gasped loudly. "Yeah. You'd think my parents would feel worse about it but they don't. They don't think there was anything they could've done to prevent it from happening. I blame them just as much as those ignorant assholes for his death."

"Beatz, I'm so sorry." Kurt said quietly.

"Yeah, me too. I thank God every day for these guys and the Warblers. They help me not get angry and I used to get really fucking angry." Beatz said through gritted teeth.

The guys sat in silence for a few minutes before Blaine finally spoke up. "I guess you'd like to know what happened to me."

"Only if you want to tell me." Kurt said softly.

"I do. It still helps to talk about it." Blaine admitted. "Like I told you before, I transferred here for being bullied, which is true. That's not why I cut though. My...father, hates me. While I was being physically bullied at school, I was emotionally bullied at home. He used to say awful things to me, made me feel like I was worthless and damned to hell. I went from being his little boy with an amazing voice to 'that disgusting waste of space' within seconds of my coming out to them. My mom never said anything to me, but she stopped loving me. You could see it in her eyes. Hell I'm sure you still can." Blaine said as a few tears fell. Kurt reached over and grabbed Blaine's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I started cutting not long after coming out and I did it practically every day. It wasn't until I joined the Warblers that I stopped. It's been almost two years and I still have my days where I struggle with the memories."

"I can't believe your parents treated you like that." Kurt said softly. "Everyone's got their demons Kurt." Blaine shrugged.

Kurt looked down into his lap as the others looked at him curiously. They shared so much with me, especially Blaine and Beatz. I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell them something, right?

"You alright over there?" Beatz asked him.

"Yeah, I was just thinking." Kurt said quietly. He took a deep breath before talking again. "It started when I was in elementary school, the bullying. My mom passed away when I was 9 and they found me crying in

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the bathroom. Ever since then, I've been that...fairy princess." Kurt said bitterly. Just like Kurt held Blaine's hand, Blaine reached over to hold his. "I dealt with it as best as I could. It got worse as we got older though; slushies in the face and being shoved into lockers kind of thing. The New Directions are the bottom of the heap at McKinley so they've all been bullied too, but I got it the worst. There's this one Neanderthal who made it his personal life goal to make me miserable."

"Is it Karofsky?" Blaine asked as he rubbed circles on Kurt's hand comfortingly. "How'd you know?" Kurt asked a little defensively.

"We saw the text from earlier." Beatz said with a half shrug.

"Oh. Well, yeah that's him. He...he's just...he kissed me." Kurt said quickly. "What?" David asked in confusion.

"Wait, are you telling us that the same guy who bullied you for being gay kissed you?" Nick said in disbelief. Kurt nodded as he wiped the tears from his face. "What the hell!"

"There's...there's more." Kurt said weakly. "He...did more as time went on."

Beatz was suddenly standing up and pacing angrily in the small space left. "That's fucked up! How dare he touch you?! Who the hell does he think he is?!"

"Andrew." Wes said firmly. It was the first time Kurt had heard anyone call him by his real name but it seemed to calm the boy down.

"Kurt, I am so sorry that you've gone through that." Blaine said softly.

"It's fine. I mean, it's not but I can't change what happened." Kurt said shrugging.

"We won't let him near you Kurt. I won't let him near you." Beatz, who was now leaning up against the wall, said. Kurt reminded him so much of his younger brother and he decided right then and there that he would protect Kurt in the same way he should've protected Jimmy.

"Could we watch a movie now? I don't want talk about this anymore." Kurt said quietly. - 41 -

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"That sounds like a good idea." David said getting up.

The boys, minus Kurt and Blaine, spent the next fifteen minutes arguing over which movie to watch. Kurt had moved to his bed to sit and Blaine followed, sitting next to him.

"Are you ok?" Blaine asked Kurt in a whisper. "Yeah, I'm ok." Kurt told him.

"I have to be honest Kurt, I didn't expect you to open up as much as you did." Blaine said with a small smile.

"I didn't either." Kurt admitted. "I don't know, you've just...you've made me feel so welcome. It's been a really long time since I've felt accepted."

"I will always accept you Kurt, no matter what." Blaine said softly.

"Thanks Blaine." Kurt said quietly, reciprocating the smile Blaine was giving him.

Once again, David noticed the soft exchange between the two boys, but this time so did Beatz. They glanced knowingly at one another but said nothing. After what Kurt told them, they knew that Kurt was in no position to be in any kind of relationship yet, even if he was smiling at Blaine adoringly. They both silently decided that they would keep an eye out on the two boys. They were going to make sure that Blaine didn't push Kurt too hard and they were going to make sure that Kurt didn't push Blaine away in the process. Not that they had anything to really worry about. Blaine knew that what Kurt needed was a friend to be there for him so he planned to be just that. He would be that friend that Kurt could count on through the end. If something more happened later, so be it, but he would never push him into something. He wouldn't take the choice away from him like Karofsky did.

They had finally decided on watching TMNT first and Harry Potter afterwards. Kurt and Blaine stayed on Kurt's bed while the others stayed on the floor to watch the movies. A little more than halfway through Harry Potter, Kurt had fallen asleep on Blaine's shoulder. Blaine smiled to himself and gently placed his head on top of Kurt's while he continued to watch the movie. He had every intention of moving back to his bed when the movie ended, but fell asleep just fifteen minutes before the credits. David and Beatz were

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\- 42 -

the only ones still awake and the both laughed quietly when the saw Kurt and Blaine snuggled up. Beatz stole Blaine's bed for the night as David turned the TV off.

"So, what do you think?" Beatz asked quietly, gesturing to Kurt and Blaine.

"I think this year is going to be an interesting one for our dear dapper Mr. Anderson here." David replied as he settled himself in his sleeping bag.

Beatz nodded and agreed, knowing that David meant it in more ways than one. Whatever ended up happening between the two boys, there was going to be drama with Blaine's father and they would be there when the ball inevitably dropped.

\- 43 -

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CHAPTER FIVE

Becoming A Warbler

Blaine woke up in the middle of the night to find himself slumped over Kurt in an awkward position. Shit I fell asleep on him! He started moving to make his way over to his bed but stopped when he heard Kurt talking in his sleep. He heard Kurt repeat the word stop a few times and immediately knew that he was having another nightmare. He shifted himself so he could lay behind Kurt comfortably. He wrapped one arm protectively around Kurt's waist, placed his head on his other arm, allowing his fingers to lightly stroke Kurt's hair, and hummed quietly. Blaine was unaware of the fact that Beatz had also been awake. He was an incredibly light sleeper and woke up when Kurt began to talk in his sleep. He watched as Blaine adjusted himself next to Kurt and smiled to himself when he heard Blaine humming to him. Blaine continued to hum quietly even after Kurt had settled down. He didn't want Kurt to fall back into his dream so he hummed until he fell asleep next to him.

Kurt was confused when he woke up that next morning. He wasn't alone in his bed and for a moment, he was scared by the arm that held him tightly. He realized it was Blaine and blushed at the thought of Blaine cuddling with him. He shifted uneasily in his bed, stirring Blaine awake in the process.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"You mean other than the fact that you're cuddling with me on my bed?" Kurt replied with hint of sarcasm.

"Oh!" Blaine said, quickly removing his arm. "Sorry."

"Why are you in my bed?" Kurt asked him.

"We fell asleep during the movie. I actually woke up in the middle of the night but you were having a nightmare so I cuddled and hummed you to sleep. I hope that's alright." Blaine said sheepishly.

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"I-it's fine." Kurt stammered. "I was having a nightmare?"

"Yeah, you don't remember?" Kurt shook his head no and moved to sit up on the bed. "Oh well, I guess

that's a good thing right?"

\- 44 -

"Right." Kurt said quietly.

Beatz, who had woken up not long after Kurt and Blaine, stretched in Blaine's bed, making his presence known. "Morning." He said sleepily.

"Morning." Kurt and Blaine replied at the same time. "What's the plan for today?" Beatz asked.

"I have homework to finish but that's about it. I don't know about these guys." Blaine replied, nudging Jeff with his foot.

"Ellie, I swear I'm going to cut your Barbie doll's hair if you don't let me sleep." Jeff mumbled.

Beatz and Blaine laughed while Kurt watched them with a confused expression. Beatz nudged Jeff with his foot, granting them another mumble. "Stop Sammy or I'll eat all your X-men."

"What is he talking about?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Ellie and Sammy are two of his sibs. If you try and wake him up before he wants to he ends up mumbling random things like that." Blaine said laughing.

"Really? Can I try?" Kurt asked. "By all means." Beatz said smiling.

Kurt reached over and cautiously nudged Jeff. "No, I don't want to play dress up Sarah. I make an ugly princess."

"Oh wow." Kurt laughed.

"Yeah. Nick's his roommate and he has a few recordings of all the random shit he says." Beatz told him. "I think I need to hear these recordings." Kurt said smiling.

\- 45 -

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"I think you need to too." Blaine laughed. Kurt's cell phone suddenly rang out, making the other boys startle awake.

"Who's playing Lady Gaga this early?" David grunted.

"Sorry, it's my phone." Kurt said and quickly made his way out of the room.

While the other boys started to get up for the day, Beatz made his way over to Blaine to whisper in his ear. "Someone's got a crush." He said in a singsong voice.

"What?" Blaine said quickly.

"You heard me." Beatz said with a wink and walked away.

The group of boys all went their separate ways that Sunday, most of them having homework to finish. Kurt stayed in his room for most of the day and read. Blaine found things to preoccupy himself with in their room in order to spend time with Kurt. He couldn't help but want to be around him. There was something about him that intrigued Blaine on a level he couldn't quite understand. He was glad when Kurt asked him about auditioning for the Warblers, sending them into a deep conversation about music. They both quickly learned that they had quite a bit in common and Kurt was surprised at how easily it was to talk to Blaine. Later that evening, Blaine convinced Kurt to hang out in the common room with the rest of his friends and Kurt was more than grateful that the other boys accepted him in their group so quickly.

Kurt's first day at Dalton was interesting to say the least. He spent the morning scowling at himself in the mirror, hating the fact that he had to wear a uniform. Even though it had been a while since he'd actually dressed to impress, he still hated feeling like he couldn't express himself. He quickly learned that the classes at Dalton were completely different than the ones at McKinley. At McKinley, the students never sat still long enough to hear what the teacher was saying. Not that it mattered because most of the teachers droned on either way. He wasn't in the least bit academically challenged there since most of the teachers simply didn't care. At Dalton, the students not only sat and listened to what the teacher was saying, but they actually participated. The teachers didn't drone on like the ones at McKinley. Instead, they were vivid and passionate about what they were teaching. Kurt couldn't quite grasp that idea but he rather enjoyed it.

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\- 46 -

The boys at Dalton were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. In class, they were model students. Outside of class however, they were normal rambunctious teenage boys. There were several couples in the school which Kurt had not expected at all. There was no bullying, no fighting, and no fear in the halls of Dalton. At one point, Kurt actually thought that he might have joined a cult because seriously, how can all these boys be so happy all the time? He was surprised at how differently the Warblers were treated compared to the other boys as well. The Warblers were the most popular guys in the school. Even the teachers treated them differently and Kurt just couldn't get that. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle the attention he knew he would get once he joined, but he was glad that he had Blaine to help him through it.

That was another thing that Kurt couldn't quite understand. Blaine. Blaine was something out of a 1950s movie. He joked around with his friends and all, but he was the most polite and dapper person that Kurt had ever met. He made sure that Kurt was doing ok throughout the day and he even let himself be late to his classes in order to walk Kurt to his. Admittedly, Kurt didn't mind it, especially when he had a panic attack after lunch. Blaine was there to calm him down and Kurt was sure he would never tire of hearing his smooth vocals. The other Warblers were ridiculously friendly to him as well. It didn't matter that many of them had only spoken to him once or twice that weekend. They all witnessed what had happened when he received the text from Karofsky and too many of them understood that feeling of hopelessness and despair. His official Warbler audition was on Wednesday and despite the nerves, Kurt was rather excited about joining the group.

"I can't do this." Kurt said in a panic. "I can't! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I sang in front of anyone, like really sang? I can't do it. I can't!"

Kurt was standing outside the Warbler hall with Beatz, waiting for the council to call him in. Beatz and him had bonded in a way Kurt could only describe as brotherly. While he was no Finn, he was in the same category and Kurt was really grateful for it.

"Would you relax? You're going to be fine." Beatz assured him. Kurt glanced at him unsurely but said nothing. "Ok, tell me the truth. Are you nervous about singing in front them, or in front of him?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kurt said, avoiding Beatz' gaze. - 47 -

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"No, of course not." Beatz said with a laugh. "Don't worry, he already thinks that you're amazing. Now all you have to do is how him just how amazing you truly are."

Kurt blushed and looked down at his hands. Beatz was the only Warbler who had heard him practice for the audition and by pure accident, he had mentioned being nervous about singing in front of Blaine. He quickly said that it was because Blaine was the lead soloist so his opinion mattered to him but Beatz knew better than that.

The doors opened up and David poked his head out to tell Kurt that they were ready for him. He took a deep breath and walked in, ignoring all the eyes on him. Beatz took a seat across from Blaine purposely. He wanted to see the expressions on Blaine's face while Kurt performed.

"Whenever you're ready, Kurt." Wes said with a bright smile. This was the Warbler's most anticipated audition yet. They knew that Kurt was a countertenor and were all expecting to be blown away. None of them hid their surprise when the song started nor did Blaine hide the smile that spread across his face.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

all your life

you were only waiting for this moment to be free

The Warblers sat quietly, listening intently to Kurt sing. There was something about the way he sang it that hit home for many of them. Beatz switched back and forth from Kurt's performance to Blaine's expressions. He could see the tears well up in Blaine's eyes.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night. Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly

Into the light of the dark black night.

\- 48 -

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Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise, You were only waiting for this moment to arise, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

By the time that Kurt had finished the song, most of the boys were teary eyed. Kurt wiped away his own set of tears and chuckled nervously as he took in all of the faces in the room. His eyes finally landed on Blaine and he could see the adoration and pride in Blaine's eyes, making him blush and look away.

"Well done Kurt!" Thad said proudly. "All those in favor of adding Kurt to the Warblers raise your hand." Every hand went up without hesitation. Kurt couldn't help but smile broadly at the acceptance.

"Congratulations, Kurt. Welcome to the Warblers." Wes said smiling as the Warblers broke into applause. "With that said, we have something for you."

Jeff quickly got up from his chair and exited the room. The boys began talking with one another while the waited. Just as Kurt reached where Blaine was talking with Beatz and David, Jeff came in with a bird cage. Wes took the cage from Jeff and made his way over to Kurt.

"Kurt, we present to you Pavarotti. We have a tradition here where the newest member of the Warblers gets a real Warbler to take care of. That bird is your voice. Treat him well." Wes said as he handed Kurt the cage. Kurt watched Pavarotti curiously for a moment before thanking the council. The rest of that evening consisted of working Kurt into the routine for Sectionals which was only a week and half away.

By Friday, Kurt could not deny how tired he really was. While he enjoyed finally being challenged, the academics at Dalton were no joke. It didn't help that Wes was driving them to perfection for Sectionals either. He found himself to be too busy to worry about anything that was going on in the "real world" as he liked to call it, but was truly glad for the distraction. It prevented him from thinking too much and he knew that it was never good when he thought too much. He still had a few panic attacks throughout the week, but he was usually with Blaine, Beatz, or Jeff when they happened so they sang with him to calm him down.

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\- 49 -

Now that it was Friday night, however, he was more than anxious about the weekend. He would be going home early Saturday which meant that he would have a distraction free weekend. The only reason he hadn't gone home after school Friday was because of Warbler rehearsal. He would've stayed the whole weekend with that excuse except that Wes insisted that Kurt go home for the weekend to be with his family.

"Hey, are you ok?" Blaine had asked him. Blaine always seemed to know when Kurt was feeling off and while Kurt really did appreciate it, it was also slightly annoying.

"I'm fine." Kurt answered him. Blaine looked at him curiously before getting up from his desk to sit next to Kurt on his bed.

"You know you can tell me, Kurt." Blaine said softly.

"I know." Kurt replied quietly. "I'm just...I guess I'm just worried about this weekend."

"Why?"

"Because I'll be at home. I miss my family and everything but..."

"You feel safer here?" Blaine finished for him.

"Yeah." Kurt said quietly, ashamed by the admittance.

"I know what you mean." Blaine said with a sad smile. "But don't worry, I'm only a phone call away and so are the other Warblers. Alright?"

"Yeah, alright. Thanks Blaine." Kurt said smiling shyly. "Anytime Kurt."

Kurt was woken up around 2 am that night. He struggled to open his eyes and when he finally did, he saw Blaine smiling goofily at him. "What?" he snapped in his half asleep daze.

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\- 50 -

"Come on, wake up. We need to hurry up or we're going to be late." Blaine told him.

"Late for what?" Kurt asked in confusion.

"Would you just come on?" Blaine said eagerly.

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on!" Kurt said irritably.

"It's a surprise. A surprise you are going to miss if you don't get your tush out of bed." Blaine said playfully.

"Seriously, Blaine?" Kurt asked exasperatedly.

"Seriously, Kurt. Now come on. Trust me." Blaine said softly, holding his hand out to Kurt.

Trust him? There it was again. That was the second time that Blaine had ever asked Kurt to trust him and while a part of him was screaming no, another part of him, the same part that always got lost in Blaine's deep hazel eyes, was telling him yes. He sighed heavily before taking Blaine's hand. He put his slippers on quickly and let Blaine lead the way.

"Blaine, slow down!" Kurt said in a whisper as Blaine rushed them outside. "Where are we going?!" "Just come on! We're going to miss it!" Blaine said as he led Kurt outside of the school building.

"What are we doing? We're going to get in so much trouble! We're not supposed to be out here!" Kurt said panicking.

"We'll be fine, come on!" Blaine said. He dropped Kurt's hand and finished running to the side of the building that had a ladder.

"Blaine, what are you doing! Get down from there!" Kurt practically screeched at him. Blaine didn't answer him. Instead he sped his pace up, ignoring the protest from Kurt. "What the hell is he doing?" Kurt mumbled to himself just as Blaine disappeared onto the rooftop.

"Are you coming or what?" Blaine called out to him.

\- 51 -

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"Oh for crying out loud." Kurt said irritably. He huffed in defeat and climbed up the ladder.

When he made it to the top, his jaw dropped when he saw all the Warblers spread out on sleeping bags and blankets. He walked over to where Blaine was settling himself down, saying a quick hello to his new friends. As soon as Kurt made it over to Blaine, Blaine grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing up here? This isn't some crazy Warbler tradition where we all jump off the roof is it?" Kurt quipped.

"Oh hush and lay down. It's about to start." Blaine said smiling. "What is?" Kurt asked in aggravation.

"Shh." Blaine replied as he pointed up towards the sky.

Kurt settled himself next to Blaine, probably closer than he should've been but neither one minded. He looked up at the sky and waited for something to happen. He opened his mouth to make another remark but stopped when he saw the shooting stars.

"Wow." Kurt whispered.

"Yeah. We love coming up for this." Blaine whispered back. "And yes, it is a Warbler tradition."

"It would be." Kurt replied smiling.

They laid there quietly for several moments. If this was what being a Warbler meant then Kurt couldn't think of ever not being one. He had never felt more at peace then he did at that very moment.

"It's beautiful." Kurt said absentmindedly.

"Yeah, very beautiful." Blaine agreed.

Kurt hadn't noticed that Blaine was watching his face light up instead of the shooting stars. Beatz and David, however, did notice. They nodded at one another as if coming to an agreement before shifting their

attention back to the stars.

\- 52 -

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CHAPTER SIX

Not Strong Enough

"Are you sure Kurt knows we're coming to get him?" Puck asked Finn as they got into the car.

"Yeah, dude. Well, he knows Burt is coming to pick him up. I doubt he'll mind if it's us though." Finn shrugged.

"If you say so, man. If he throws a bitch fit I'm blaming you." Puck informed him.

"He's not going to do that...I don't think." Finn said unsurely.

"Maybe we should call him." Puck suggested.

"I already tried but he didn't pick up. He's probably still sleeping. It's cool though. We have two hours to get there. He'll be up by then." Finn assured him as he pulled out of the Hummel/Hudson home.

Kurt heard the giggles of a few Warblers as he began to stir awake. He wasn't sure what they were laughing at but he didn't particularly care. He was wrapped up tightly in a warm, protective cocoon and he had no intention of moving anytime soon. As the giggles in the background got louder, he became more alert. He soon realized that the reason they were giggling was because Blaine's arm was wrapped around his waist and he was snuggled comfortably behind him. A blush crept up on his cheeks as he felt Blaine's arm tighten around him. Does he cuddle with all of his friends or am I special? Don't be stupid. You aren't special to anyone. Kurt shifted in the sleeping bag, trying to stir Blaine awake while secretly enjoying the proximity.

"Stop moving." Blaine mumbled behind him.

"Blaine?" Kurt said slowly.

"Sleep." Blaine responded, tightening his grip around Kurt.

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\- 53 -

Kurt couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. Blaine was definitely something to marvel at. He had gone above and beyond to make sure that Kurt was ok during the week and Kurt couldn't be more grateful for the friendship. If he let himself, he'd admit that Blaine made his stomach do little flips. He wouldn't let himself admit it though. He couldn't.

"Aren't they precious?" Kurt heard David say from a few feet away.

"I knew he thought Kurt was cute." Trent said in an attempted whisper.

Kurt opened his eyes to see Trent, David, Nick, and Beatz watching them with amused expressions. Kurt huffed in annoyance and forced himself to sit up. "Can I help you?" he snapped at them.

"What happened to that quiet shy boy we met last weekend?" David teased.

"He must be hiding in Blaine's sleeping bag." Beatz said smirking.

"Wasgoinon?" Blaine asked sleepily from behind Kurt.

"Oh, nothing. We're just watching you and Kurt cuddle like adorable puppies." Nick said smiling. "Actually, I think Kurt would be a kitten." Trent pointed out.

"You guys are ridiculous." Kurt said rolling his eyes. He dared a glance at Blaine, smiling shyly when he noticed that Blaine was blushing as well.

"Sorry. I'm kind of a cuddle whore." Blaine admitted softly. "Yes, I got that." Kurt replied shyly.

"Hey, Kurt. There's some really tall guy and a guy with a Mohawk at the front demanding to see you." Wes called out to him from the ladder.

"Awe, crap!" Kurt said quickly, throwing the blankets off of him and standing up.

"Is everything alright?" Beatz asked him.

\- 54 -

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"Yeah, I forgot my dad was supposed to be picking me up. I guess he sent Finn to do it and Finn must of brought Puck." Kurt said in one breath and ran towards the ladder.

"Who are Finn and Puck?" David asked Beatz. Beatz shrugged. "I don't know. Let's go find out."

"He's got five minutes before I go in there and bust some heads." Puck said to Finn.

"I just don't know why he won't answer his phone." Finn said in confusion.

"Where'd that little Asian guy go?" Puck said cracking his knuckles.

"I don't know dude but don't be stupid. He probably has ninja skills, I wouldn't mess with him." Finn said as he pulled his phone out to call Kurt again.

"Yeah, I'm the stupid one." Puck mumbled to himself. "Look, there he is." Finn looked at where Puck was pointing to see Kurt and several other boys climbing down the ladder.

"Is he...laughing?" Finn asked in surprise.

Sure enough, whatever David had said to Kurt made him nearly fall off the last few steps in laughter. He started making his way towards the doors when he heard Finn and Puck call out to him. He gave them both a disgruntled look before walking over to them with Blaine, David, and Beatz close behind.

"Dude, where have you been? I've been calling you for like two hours." Finn said exasperatedly.

"Sorry, Finn. We had a Warbler thing on the roof and I didn't have my phone on me. Where's my dad?" Kurt asked him.

"John called in so he's at the shop. Who are they?" Finn asked, nodding at the guys behind him.

"Oh, this is David, Beatz, and my roommate Blaine. Guys, this is my step-brother Finn and his friend Puck."

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Kurt told him.

\- 55 -

"Yo." David and Beatz said in unison.

"Hi." Blaine said with his usual charming smile. He extended his hand out to Finn who shook it, then to Puck who just stared at him.

"Nuh, uh. Berry will kill me if she finds out I associated with a Gargle. You'll be lucky if doesn't kill you." Puck said to Finn. Kurt smiled at the sheepish expression that came across Finn's face.

"Warbler, Noah." Kurt corrected. "I'm going to get my stuff. I'll be right back." He said and walked off towards the building.

"So you guys are in the New Directions, huh?" David asked in his councilman voice. "Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Puck asked threateningly.

"Naw." David said smiling. "Word of advice though. Bring it."

"Oh it's so on dude." Puck said crossing his arms.

By the time Kurt got back to the front, David and Beatz had left, leaving Blaine alone with Puck and Finn. Blaine must have been telling them something complicated because both boys had confused expressions on their face. As Kurt got close enough to hear, he smiled to himself when he heard what the conversation was about.

"It really isn't that bad without girls. Most of the guys have girlfriends that go to Dalton's sister school and we do a lot of events together." Blaine told them.

"Naw man, I couldn't do that. The Puckster needs his daily lady lovin." Puck said shaking his head.

"The Puckster needs his lady lovin just as much as he needs to stop calling himself The Puckster." Kurt quipped from behind Blaine.

"Hey. I was just telling your friends the benefits of an all boy school." Blaine told him. - 56 -

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"Good luck with that." Kurt replied with a half-smile.

"You ready to go, dude?" Finn asked him.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Kurt nodded. "And quit calling me dude."

"Sorry, dude." Finn said shrugging. "Nice meeting you Blaine." He said as he walked to the driver's side of the car.

"You too, Finn." Blaine replied.

Blaine turned his attention to Kurt, stepped a few inches closer, and lowered his voice so Kurt was the only one that heard him. "Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Kurt told him.

"Alright. Call me if you need anything, ok?" Blaine said softly. He didn't need to say anymore. Kurt understood what he was talking about.

"I will." Kurt assured him. "Thanks, Blaine."

"Of course." Blaine replied with a shy smile.

"Yo, Hummel. Let's go." Puck yelled from the passenger seat.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Blaine." Kurt said with a sad smile and walked towards the car.

"See you tomorrow, Kurt." Blaine replied, matching Kurt's sad smile. He stood where he was, watched Finn backed out of the driveway, and waved to Kurt one final time before walking back into the school.

The drive back to Lima was uncomfortably quiet. Finn and Puck tried to talk to Kurt a few times but he only ever responded with grunts and half-hearted answers. He wasn't trying to ignore them or be rude. His thoughts were just too wrapped up in Blaine. How is it possible for someone to be so kind? How is possible that he always seems to know what to say? Blaine with his stupid charm and his devastatingly good

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looks and that damn smile! God I hate the smile! No, that's a lie. I love that smile. Probably a lot more than I should. God, why does he have to make things so complicated? Damn you Beatz for putting this idea in my head! Kurt pulled his phone out in frustration to text Beatz. There was no way he was going to take the blame for his confusion.

I hate you. –Kurt

Kurt sent the text with a satisfied smile. Yep, it's definitely Beatz' fault. Lol. Why? What did I do? –Beatz

Oh don't play dumb! Kurt quickly sent another text, pressing the buttons on his phone with just a tad too much determination.

You put ideas in my head that don't need to be there and it's entirely your fault. –Kurt HA! No way. I'm not taking the blame for your crush. –Beatz

Oh my God! He can't say that! What if someone reads it?! Kurt replied instantly, in a panic even. Shut up! And it's not a crush! It's just...admiration for a fellow Warbler –Kurt

Lol, ok Kurt. Whatever you say. –Beatz

"Dude, do you like, have a boyfriend at Dalton already?" Finn asked him. Kurt hadn't realized that he was smiling like an idiot to himself but Finn and Puck did. It had become a rare site to see Kurt smile lately so both boys sat in the car confused by Kurt's actions.

"What? No. Why would you think that?" Kurt asked confused.

"Because man, you've barely said anything to us since we left Dalton but you're texting someone and smiling like a buffoon back there. It's gotta be about guy. You getting some ass with those Warblers already?" Puck asked smirking.

"Dude, gross. That's my brother." Finn said exasperatedly. - 58 -

"Puck, just...shut up." Kurt said irritably.

"I'll take that as a yes." Puck said with satisfaction, making Kurt huff in annoyance.

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Back at Dalton, Beatz, David, and Nick were watching Blaine in amusement. They were in Blaine's room studying for an exam they had that Monday but Blaine wasn't studying. Instead, he was staring at the space just above his book, lost in thought.

"You know what I heard?" Nick said to David.

"No, Nick. What did you hear?" David asked overdramatically.

"I heard that when someone stares off into space for long periods of time it means that they're going crazy." Nick said smirking.

"Yeah, I heard that too." Beatz agreed. "But I heard the craziness was brought on by love."

"Oh, love! Yes, that definitely turns people into zombies." David nodded. "Isn't that right, Blaine?"

"Huh?" Blaine replied, not hearing the conversation they just had. Beatz, David, and Nick started laughing, granting them a confused look from Blaine. "What?"

"Seriously, dude? You got it bad." David said shaking his head.

"Got what bad? What are you guys talking about?" Blaine asked him.

"Kurt, Blaine. Kurt." Nick responded.

"What about Kurt?" Blaine asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh my dear dapper Mr. Anderson, you are such a lost puppy sometimes." David said sighing. "Seriously guys, what are you talking about?" Blaine asked slightly irritated.

\- 59 -

"You. Like. Kurt." Beatz simply put.

"What? No. He's my friend." Blaine told them, ignoring the blush that threatened to show.

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"Bullshit, Blaine. Tell me right now that you weren't just thinking about him." David demanded. When Blaine didn't answer but looked away, David smiled proudly. "See! I knew it."

"I wasn't...thinking about him...not exactly." Blaine said quietly.

"And what pray tell were you thinking about exactly?" Nick asked him.

"Nothing." Blaine said quickly. "Just that I hope he has a good weekend at home. I know he was anxious about going so..."

"I see." Nick said slowly. "And this morning's cuddles were what, you trying to calm his anxiety?"

"No, not exactly." Blaine said avoiding eye contact with his friends.

"Ok..." Beatz said, looking at Blaine expectantly.

Blaine finally glanced at his friends and all three were wearing the same expectant, knowing looks. "What?" He asked with a nervous laugh.

"Say it, Blaine. You know you want to." Nick said smiling. "Ok, ok." Blaine said in defeat. "Maybe, I like him a little." "A little?" David asked.

"Yes, a little." Blaine told him.

"Why?" Beatz asked.

"Yeah, why do you like Kurt?" Nick pushed. "Well, I don't know." Blaine shrugged.

\- 60 -

"Eh!" David said, imitating a buzzer. "Wrong answer."

"Because...because he's amazing." Blaine breathed out. "He's smart, and kind, and funny. He's talented and beautiful and when he sings I just...I melt."

"Yep, that definitely sounds like a little bit of like to me." Nick teased.

"Ok so maybe I like him more than a little. Can you blame me?" Blaine asked exasperatedly.

"No, we can't blame you." David told him. "And as much as I am on board with this Klaine ship, a boyfriend is not what he needs."

"I know that, David." Blaine said quickly. "He's my friend. I'm not going to push him or anything."

"We know you aren't, Blaine. We honestly just wanted to hear you admit your feelings for him." Beatz said smirking.

"You're not going to tell the other guys are you? I don't want it to get back to Kurt and then have him freak out." Blaine said worriedly.

"No need. After this morning's cuddles, they all pretty much know." David assured him.

"Great." Blaine said rolling his eyes. "Let's get back to studying."

Beatz, Nick, and David dropped the subject of Kurt and went back to their studies, but that didn't mean that Blaine wasn't thinking about him. He knew his friends were only teasing him and he knew that he wasn't exactly hiding his feelings but after Kurt's Warbler audition, he couldn't help it.

Blaine and Kurt had just walked back into their room when Blaine grabbed Kurt's arm and turned him to get his full attention.

"What?" Kurt asked confused.

"Kurt, your audition was beautiful." Blaine said softly. Kurt blushed and looked away, making Blaine smile sweetly at him. "I'm serious. That was the most beautiful performance I've ever seen. You...you move me,

Kurt."

\- 61 -

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Kurt looked up at Blaine, smiling shyly at the sincerity he saw in Blaine's eyes. "Thanks, Blaine." He said quietly.

Blaine matched his smile, his own blush creeping up his cheeks. "You're welcome."

Awe hell, who was Blaine kidding. He had it bad.

Kurt did not expect being at home to be so awkward. His family tried making conversation with him but he just couldn't seem to stay interested. He had only been at Dalton for a week but it quickly became his safe haven. Being surrounded by his fellow Warblers put him at ease to the point where he could say that he was actually kind of happy. Being at home, however, meant that his protective barriers were gone and he hated it. When his mind began to wander to unpleasant memories, he took out his cell and called Blaine.

"Hey, Kurt." Blaine said cheerily.

"Hey, Blaine." Kurt replied sullenly.

"Is everything ok?" Blaine asked. Even over the phone, Blaine could tell that there was something wrong.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just...I don't know. I miss the Warblers I guess." Kurt admitted quietly. I miss you.

"We miss you too, Kurt but don't worry, you'll be home tomorrow." Blaine assured him. I miss you.

"Yeah, I know. How's Pavarotti?" Kurt asked him. He had decided to leave the bird with Blaine for his night

at home. He didn't think his father would like the constant chirping.

"He's good. He knows you're not here though. He keeps chirping at the door like he's waiting for you to come in." Blaine joked.

Kurt chuckled for only a moment when he was interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door. "Son, can we

talk?" Burt asked him from the doorway.

\- 62 -

"Sure, Dad." Kurt told him. "I have to go, Blaine. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Kurt. See you tomorrow." Blaine replied a little sadly before hanging up.

"What's up, Dad?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to see how you were doing. You didn't talk much during dinner and Finn said something about you being on the roof at school?" Burt said unsurely.

"Oh, yeah." Kurt said with a small smile. "The Warblers have a ton of crazy traditions and one of them involves spending the night on the school roof to watch shooting stars."

"Oh? That sounds really nice." Burt commented.

"It was." Kurt nodded.

"So, everything's ok, you know, with you." Burt said cautiously.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm better I guess." Kurt shrugged. "Being at Dalton is...the best thing for me I think. I know that's it's a bubble and I know that the real world is nowhere near as accepting as everyone at the school is but I don't know, I'm ok with that. It's nice not to be so afraid all the time."

"Yeah? Well, good. I'm really glad to hear that. You're not, you know. Are you?" Burt asked him.

"No, Dad. I'm not. The boys...I'm not the only one with that...issue, and the Warblers take care of each other. They even have a designated time to shave in the locker room so no one can...do anything. It's another one of their crazy Warbler traditions." Kurt said with a small laugh.

"How many traditions these boys got?" Burt asked curiously.

"A lot, Dad." Kurt chuckled. "They're all really good guys. I'm glad I joined."

"Me too, son. They sound like good boys and I'm glad they've been so accepting of you. I can tell they're making a positive influence on you. Just talking about them makes you smile." Burt pointed out.

"What can I say? I guess I'm a Warbler at heart." Kurt shrugged smiling. - 63 -

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"Looks like you are. I'll be glad to meet them at Sectionals next weekend. Sleep tight, son. Call me if you need me, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks, Dad." "Anytime, kiddo."

That night was a rough one for Kurt. He couldn't relax enough to fall asleep at a decent time and when his mind finally gave out, he slept restlessly.

"Oh, that feels so good." Karofsky purred. He had his hand in Kurt's hair, griping it tightly while Kurt blew him.

Kurt didn't fight it. There was no point. He was numb to the activities by that point.

"You like that don't you? You fucking cock slut!" Karofsky growled. "So close."

Kurt tried to pull off but Karofsky prevented him. "No! You swallow my cum you cock slut."

Kurt closed his eyes tightly, gagging as Karofsky's cum hit the back of his throat. He ran and threw up at the bucket in the corner as Karofsky tucked himself away and re-zipped his pants.

"Later, Hummel." Karofsky winked and walked out of the supply closet.

Kurt made a bee-line to the bathroom to throw up again. Once his stomach was empty, he fixed himself in the mirror and walked out in order to make it to his next class. As soon as he walked out of the bathroom, Karofsky and Azimio dumped slushies on him.

"Have a great day fairy princess." Karofsky mocked, gave Azimio a high five, and walked off.

Kurt woke up abruptly, feeling disgusted and used. He quickly got out of his bed and ran to his bathroom. He felt around the back of the toilet, finding the razor blade he had taped there, and ripped it off. Without a second thought, he rolled his sleeve up, and cut deep into his wrist. He winced at the pain for only a moment before slicing again. This he could handle. This he could control. This was his reality. He sliced

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\- 64 -

again, watching the blood drip on the bathroom tile. He felt light headed as the blood escaped him, not even realizing the tears that fell from his eyes. He shakily stood up, grabbed some tissues, and cleaned his mess up. He stumbled back into his bed in a daze and fell asleep instantly.

When he woke up the next morning, he felt like death rolled over him. He hadn't slept well and the pain of his wrist was barely bearable. What have I done? He knew that singing would've helped and he knew that he could've called any of his new friends, but why hadn't he? They were going to be mad at him. They were going to be disappointed. Blaine was going to be disappointed. What have I done?

Blaine had been anxious all day Sunday. It was already 6pm and Kurt had yet to return. He had tried to call a few times but Kurt never answered his calls. He tried not to worry but he had the feeling that something was wrong. He was walking back to his dorm from dinner with the intention of trying to get ahold of Kurt again when he got a text from Beatz informing him that Kurt had returned. Blaine quickly made his way to his dorm, excited to see Kurt again. He was shocked when he walked into the room. Kurt was lying in his bed in fetal position crying.

"Kurt?" Blaine said softly. When Kurt didn't respond, Blaine cautiously sat next to him. "Kurt, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry." Kurt choked out.

"What could you possibly be sorry about?" Blaine asked in confusion.

Kurt sat up slowly, wiped the tears from his eyes, and handed Blaine his arm. Blaine looked at him cautiously before slowly rolling up Kurt's sleeve. "Oh, Kurt." Blaine said sorrowfully. "What happened?"

"Nightmare." Kurt told him. "I'm so sorry, Blaine. I wasn't strong enough. Please don't hate me." Kurt started crying harder and it broke Blaine's heart. He wrapped his arms around Kurt and shushed him comfortingly.

"I could never hate you, Kurt. There's nothing to be sorry for. I know things are hard but please know that I am and will always be here for you." Blaine said quietly, trying to hold his own set of tears. He softly caressed the new scars, hating that he wasn't there to help Kurt when he needed him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

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Kurt shook his head quickly. "No, please. No."

"It's ok. You don't have to tell me anything. You tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it." Blaine said softly.

"Will you...could you just...hold me. Please." Kurt choked out.

"Of course." Blaine replied sighing.

Blaine moved them on the bed so they were lying comfortably. He sent a quick text to the guys that Kurt wasn't feeling well so he would be staying in for the night with him. Kurt let Blaine hold him tightly as they rocked back and forth on the bed. Blaine hummed softly, letting Kurt clutch onto him as he continued to cry. I am so sorry Kurt. I promise I'll make things better for you. I promise.

\- 66 -

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CHAPTER SEVEN

It'll Never Be

"Blaine, come on!" Kurt called out giddily.

"Kurt, where are you going?" Blaine asked laughing.

Kurt ran up the hill, giggling like a school girl while Blaine tried to catch up. He had somehow convinced Blaine to skip school for the day to drive three hours to the park his mother used to bring him to.

"Would you just come on?!" Kurt called back.

Blaine laughed as he quickened his pace, finally coming up on top of the hill. When he reached the top, his jaw dropped in awe. He was staring at a huge flower field, acres of beautiful wildflowers that went as far as he could see.

"Wow." Blaine said quietly.

Movement caught the corner of his vision so he turned to see that Kurt was no longer running, but walking a steady pace towards an oak tree. Blaine walked over to where Kurt was headed, smiling broadly at the beauty that surrounded him. When he reached the oak tree, Kurt was already sitting down comfortably with his eyes closed and his head leaning against the tree.

"My mom used to bring me here when I was little." Kurt told him.

Blaine took a seat next to Kurt and wrapped his arm around his waist. "It's beautiful, Kurt."

Kurt leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder, intertwined his fingers with Blaine's, and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"I haven't been up here since she died. Thank you for bringing me, Blaine. Thank you for always being here for me." Kurt said softly.

"I will always be here for you, Kurt, no matter what." Blaine whispered, leaving a small kiss on Kurt's forehead.

\- 67 -

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Kurt opened his eyes slowly, his cheeks moist from crying. Blaine's arm was wrapped tightly around him and he could hear soft snores indicating that Blaine was sound asleep. He looked up at the clock to see that it was only 7am. He didn't need to be awake for another hour since classes started at 9. He shifted in his bed, turning his body so he was face to face with Blaine. Kurt paid extra attention to the way Blaine's eyelashes laid beautifully on his face, the way his lips were slightly parted and so inviting, the way his curls were loose and free on his forehead.

He is so gorgeous. Kurt thought back to the dream he just had, doing his best to hold back the tears. Someone as wonderful and amazing as Blaine would never want me. I'm too damaged. Too used. He cautiously raised his hand to Blaine's hair, if only to touch the softness of his curls one time. Blaine instinctively leaned into Kurt's touch, moaning softly in contentment. It was all too much. Kurt felt like he was going to start crying all over again. Not because he was ashamed of himself like the night before, but because it pained him to know that Blaine would never be his. He slowly unwrapped Blaine's arm from around his waist and got out of bed. Might as well get ready for school.

When Blaine woke up an hour later, he was confused by the emptiness next to him. Where did Kurt go? He sat up in the bed, stretched for a moment, and then ran his fingers through his hair. The action sent an odd sense of familiarity, though he wasn't sure where it came from. The knock on the door prevented him from thinking on it any longer.

"Blaine, are you up?" Beatz called from the other side of the door.

"Yeah." Blaine replied with a yawn. Beatz opened the door and looked at Blaine apprehensively. "What's going on?"

"You mean other than the fact that Kurt cooked breakfast for all the Warblers this morning?" Beatz said, concern evident in his voice.

"Really?" Blaine asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Is he ok? He's quiet today." Beatz commented.

"He is?" Blaine asked sadly.

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"Yeah, unusually so." Beatz said sighing.

"He had a rough weekend at home." Blaine told him. "I'm going to get ready and I'll meet you guys down there."

"Alright. Hurry up if you want some food. David, Thad, and Jeff were on their third helping already." Beatz said smirking.

"Yeah, alright. I'll be right there." Blaine said and walked into his bathroom to get ready.

Twenty minutes later, Blaine walked into the house kitchen to find most of the Warblers chatting idly while Kurt stood over the sink washing dishes. David, Nick, and Wes glanced up at Blaine with the same questioning look, what's wrong with Kurt? He shrugged at them with a small smile before walking over to the sink.

"Morning." Blaine said softly.

"Morning." Kurt replied quietly.

"Are you ok?" Blaine asked just loud enough for Kurt to hear.

"Fine." Kurt shrugged. "I saved you plate of food, it's in the microwave."

"Kurt, you didn't have to do that." Blaine assured him. "And you definitely didn't have to make breakfast for all the Warblers."

"I wanted to. It helps me clear my mind." Kurt told him with a sad smile. "Ok." Blaine said, nodding in understanding.

"I'm going to get dressed for class." Kurt said sighing, turning the sink water off. "I'll see you guys later." He said to the remaining Warblers and walked off towards his dorm.

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Kurt was quiet throughout all of his classes and lunch, only speaking when spoken to. Several Warblers had asked Blaine if there was something wrong with him and all he could say was that Kurt had a rough weekend at home. They took his answer as reason enough to leave Kurt alone but Beatz couldn't. He hadn't had a real chance to talk to Kurt since he got back but he knew that there was something wrong. Something was different. During their free period that afternoon, Beatz asked Kurt to study with him. He was hoping to get Kurt to open up to him since he hadn't with Blaine. Beatz knew that he hadn't because Blaine looked like a lost puppy all day. It seemed like every time that he tried to talk with Kurt, Kurt would make some excuse and leave. To say that Beatz was curious about what was going on was an understatement.

"Hey, are you alright." Beatz had asked him once they were safely away in Beatz' dorm.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Kurt replied dully.

"Why don't I believe you?" Beatz questioned him.

Kurt chuckled humorlessly, catching Beatz off guard, before slamming his book shut. "Because you're ridiculously perceptive."

Beatz looked at him curiously for a moment before shutting his book as well. "What's going on with you?"

"I guess I'll start from this weekend." Kurt shrugged. "I had a nightmare and I...wasn't strong enough." He said showing the new scars on his wrist.

"Kurt." Beatz scolded.

"I know, I know." Kurt said sadly. "That's not what's wrong though." "...Ok. What is it then?" Beatz asked confused.

"When I got back and told Blaine, he...he let me cry on him. He was incredibly sweet about the whole thing and just...held me. I must have cried for hours yet there he stayed, holding me and singing to me. He's too wonderful for his own good." Kurt said with a small smile.

"So this is about Blaine?" Beatz asked.

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"Yes, this is about Blaine." Kurt confirmed. "I dreamt about him last night, about us. We went to this park that mother used to take me to when I was little and we talked for a while and it was a beautiful dream." He said quietly while tears formed in his eyes.

"Ok, I'm still not seeing the problem here." Beatz pressed on.

"The problem is the fact that it will never be more than a dream." Kurt said sadly. "Blaine is kind and sweet and caring and so wonderful. He's funny and talented and smart and he always knows what to say. He's...gorgeous, breathtakingly so, and one day he's going to make a lucky man the happiest person in the world."

"And you want to be that man." Beatz said nodding. "Yes." Kurt sighed. "I do, but it will never happen." "Why not?"

"Because I'm broken. I'm used and disgusting and pathetic. Why would someone as amazing as Blaine want to be with me when he could easily find himself someone just as amazing as he is? I'll never be the guy that Blaine could be proud of. I'll never be the guy that he could show off. I'll always only be that pathetic guy who needs his friends to take care of him. Blaine deserves someone who's pure and beautiful, not someone who's been used like a cheap whore." Kurt said spitefully.

"That's it! Come on!" Beatz said irritably as he stood up from his desk. He grabbed Kurt's arm and dragged him into the bathroom. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

"Seriously?" Kurt said in disbelief.

"You know what, no. Don't tell me what you see. Instead, I'll tell you what I see. I see a lost boy who's afraid. Afraid of the world, afraid of life, and afraid of love. I also see a boy with determination to boot and a good heart. Kurt, you are just as amazing and incredible as Blaine. What happened to you is not your fault. It does not make you disgusting and it does not make you used. It just means you have a shitty past. Everyone has their demons Kurt, no one is better than anyone else. Blaine would be more than lucky to have you. Don't you ever think that you don't deserve happiness and love Kurt because you do." Beatz said firmly.

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Kurt heard his words, but he didn't believe them. "Thanks, Beatz." He shrugged. "I know you don't believe me, but you will." Beatz assured him.

"Let's just get back to studying." Kurt sighed and walked out of the bathroom.

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Kurt had to admit that talking to Beatz made him feel better. Beatz had a way of making him talk without him realizing that he was spilling soul. That was why Beatz was the only one that knew about his feelings for Blaine and that was why Kurt loved hanging out with him. Beatz never pushed Kurt to talk but he never really had to. Kurt found himself willingly opening up to him and dare he say it, he actually even trusted him. He found a friend in Beatz so quickly and he was genuinely glad for it.

By the time Warbler rehearsal ended, Blaine was a ball of nerves. Kurt had barely spoken to him all day and he was beginning to think that he did something wrong. He noticed the change in Kurt's demeanor after his free period, which Blaine knew Kurt spent with Beatz, and he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Kurt must have told Beatz whatever it was that was bothering him and Blaine was sad that Kurt hadn't come to him. He knew it was silly to be sad and jealous but he couldn't help it. He wanted to be the one Kurt spoke to. He wanted to be the one to comfort him. Now that rehearsal was over, there was nothing left to do but head back to the dorms for the night and he worried that Kurt would continue to shut him out. When he got back to the dorm, Kurt was already there reading a book on his bed.

"Hey." Blaine said when he walked in.

"Hey." Kurt replied, glancing up from his book for a second.

"Can we talk?" Blaine asked him.

"Sure. What's up?" Kurt asked, closing his book and putting it down.

"I don't know, you tell me." Blaine said softly as he sat on the edge of Kurt's bed. "What do you mean?" Kurt asked confused.

\- 72 -

"Kurt, you've barely talked to me all day. Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?" Blaine asked sadly.

"No!" Kurt said quickly. "You didn't do anything wrong, I promise." "But you have been avoiding me?" Blaine asked cautiously.

"...yeah. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I guess...I guess I was just embarrassed about last night." Kurt said quietly.

"Kurt." Blaine said softly, scooting closer. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You know I would I never judge you."

"I know. I'm sorry." Kurt said sighing.

"It's alright. Can we go back to talking again? I missed you today." Blaine admitted shyly. "Yeah, we can go back to talking." Kurt said smiling. "I...I missed you too."

Blaine's face lit up with a smile that made Kurt weak. There was no point in him denying his feelings for Blaine anymore. The way Blaine made him feel was something out of a romance novel and all he had to do was smile. Kurt knew that he would never be able to be with Blaine because Blaine deserved so much more than him. He would never trade their friendship though. Blaine's friendship meant everything to him and he would take it over nothing any day.

They slept together in Kurt's bed again that night. Kurt knew that having Blaine there would help prevent his nightmares and Blaine knew that Kurt appreciated the comfort. They both secretly loved the cuddles and for the first time since they'd started sleeping together, their hands intertwined underneath the blankets. Neither one said anything when their hands met, but they didn't pull away either. They simply enjoyed the comfort and the possible promise of tomorrow.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

The rest of the week was an odd one for Kurt. After talking with Blaine Monday night, things changed between them. They didn't talk as much but were almost always around one another. They would share shy soft smiles throughout the day and cuddle to sleep at night. On more than one occasion, Blaine would look at Kurt intently, almost as if he was contemplating on whether or not to tell him something. Kurt wasn't doing much better either. He spent the week trying to convince himself out of liking Blaine but couldn't help but melt whenever Blaine smiled at him.

None of the Warblers questioned the odd behavior between the two boys because they already knew. They knew that Kurt had feelings for Blaine but was too afraid to say anything and they knew that Blaine had feelings for Kurt but his shyness prevented him from admitting it. It wasn't just Kurt and Blaine that were acting slightly off during the week, it was Beatz as well. Beatz refused to let Kurt believe that he wasn't worth being loved so he took every opportunity he had to tell Kurt that he was awesome or amazing or something to that equivalent. He didn't care who was around at the time. He continuously complimented Kurt and it was starting to get on his nerves.

"You really need to stop telling me that I'm amazing, Beatz." Kurt complained to him Friday evening after Warbler rehearsal.

"Why? It's not like I'm not telling the truth." Beatz replied smiling.

"Because it's annoying! The guys are going to start thinking that we're dating or something." Kurt said irritably.

"No they won't." Beatz assured him. "They know I'm straight."

"Are you sure you're straight? You've been complimenting me all week. That's not exactly straight behavior." Kurt quipped just as he sat down on one of the couches in the common room.

"I'm just stating facts, Kurt." Beatz shrugged as he sat down in a chair. "They aren't facts, they're opinions." Kurt said firmly.

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"We are not having this argument again. Don't make me tell the guys." Beatz warned him.

"You wouldn't dare." Kurt said quickly.

"No?" Beatz questioned him.

"No. You wouldn't tell them anything because you don't want to break my trust." Kurt said confidently.

"Is that so?" Beatz asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because I'm pretty sure I would tell. It's called tough love."

"You better not." Kurt warned him just as Nick, David, and Blaine entered the common room. "And if I do?" Beatz asked curiously.

"Then...then I won't talk to you anymore." Kurt said crossing his arms.

"I think I can live with that." Beatz shrugged.

"Live with what?" Blaine asked as he sat down next to Kurt. David and Nick sat in the other two chairs looking at Beatz curiously.

"I could live with Kurt not talking to me." Beatz said with a mischievous smile.

"And why would Kurt not talk to you?" Nick asked confused.

Kurt shot Beatz a look that would prevent anyone else from saying something. Since it was Beatz however, it didn't work. "He won't talk to me if I tell you guys that I think he's crazy for thinking that he's incapable of being loved by someone because of his past." Beatz said glancing back and forth between Kurt and Blaine.

"Beatz." Kurt hissed, looking down at his lap in embarrassment.

"Kurt, is that true?" David asked. "Do you really think that no one would love you because of something

that wasn't your fault?"

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"Oh yeah, that's the other thing. He seems to think that he's at fault for what that asshole did to him." Beatz said pointedly.

"I'm never telling you anything." Kurt grumbled.

Beatz simply shrugged and smiled at him. He knew that Kurt was upset with him but he knew that it was necessary. Kurt refused to believe him when he told him how great he really was so he figured he'd believe it if Blaine said it.

"Kurt." Blaine said softly, lifting Kurt's face so he would look at him. "You can't really believe that." When Kurt didn't answer and tears welled up in his eyes, Blaine knew that he did indeed believe it. "Kurt, listen to me. You did nothing wrong. It is not your fault that stupid jackass did what he did. More importantly, you are more than capable of being loved. Don't you ever think that you aren't good enough. You are amazing, truly amazing."

Blaine seemed to forget that Beatz, David, and Nick were there. As soon as he started telling Kurt how amazing he was, his feelings for younger boy seemed to spill over, making him rant about all the things he loved about him. "You're witty, smart, caring, and funny. You're so much stronger than you think you are and you are beautiful. You're the most beautiful boy I've ever met. Any guy would be lucky to be with you. Don't you dare think that you aren't good enough, Kurt. Trust me, you are."

There was a part of Kurt that truly felt like Blaine was lying to him. The sincerity and honesty in Blaine's eyes, however, pushed the negativity aside. Kurt was too lost in his emotions for Blaine to think straight. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned over to Blaine and kissed him. Blaine hesitated for only a second before cupping Kurt's face to return the kiss. There were so many questions in the kiss but there was also an undeniable tenderness that made both boys dizzy. Beatz, Nick, and David sat there gaping at the two boys. They felt like they were intruding on something private but they were in too much shock to look away. Suddenly realizing what he had done, Kurt quickly pulled back, his eyes locked with Blaine's.

"Hey, Kurt." Thad called out from the hallway. "There's someone here to see you."

"Thanks, Thad." Kurt said, finally breaking eye contact with Blaine. Without another word, he stood up from the couch and left.

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Blaine watched Kurt walk away in a daze, touching his lips with his fingertips, and blushing at the memory. "Hello! Earth to Blaine." Nick said, snapping him out his daze.

"Did he just..."

"Kiss you? Um, yeah." Beatz said smirking. "But...he...I...what?"

"Very eloquent Blaine." David teased.

Blaine couldn't believe it. Kurt had kissed him he was sure that it must have been a dream. What did it mean though? Does he like me? He did kiss me but what if he regrets it? What if he was just caught up in the moment? God, that kiss was...wow. Blaine suddenly got an unusual chill, making him feel like there was something wrong.

"Hey, Thad. Who's here to see Kurt?" Blaine asked him suddenly.

"Some football player from his old school. He said he was a friend of his." Thad said shrugging.

Blaine glanced at Beatz, David, and Nick, all of whom were wearing the same worried expression. "It couldn't be him...right? I mean, his step-brother and that Mohawk guy are on the football team. It could be one of them." David said unsurely.

"Maybe we should check, just in case." Beatz said firmly.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." Blaine replied nervously as they all got up from where they were sitting to walk to the front.

Kurt walked to the front of the school still in a daze over what happened. I kissed Blaine. Holy crap! I kissed Blaine...and he kissed me back. Oh my God! What am I going to do? Oh my GOD! I can't believe I did that! Kurt was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice the burly football player standing at the front watching him intently. He continued to walk, unaware of his surroundings, and walked straight into the boy.

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"Sor-Karofsky!" Kurt's jaw dropped when he looked up to see Karofsky staring at him. "Wha-what are you doing here?!"

Karofsky smiled dangerously, taking a step forward and making Kurt take a step back. Karofsky kept stepping towards Kurt while Kurt kept walking back, stopping when his back hit the wall. "You should tell Puckerman to be careful about what he says in the locker room. Once I heard him say you went to an all boy prep-school it wasn't hard to find you. I bet you love it here. This school is probably full of little queers like you." Karofsky said in a low edgy voice.

"And you." Kurt spat back before he could stop himself. "What did you just say?!" Karofsky snarled.

"Hey! Get away from him!"

Karofsky turned around to see Blaine, Beatz, David, and Nick angrily walking towards him. He quickly turned back to Kurt who had subconsciously started shaking. "Got your own body guards now? How pathetic."

"I said get away from him!" Blaine stepped in between Karofsky and Kurt, pushing the overgrown football player away.

"Awe, the little fairy princess has a boyfriend. I bet you two vomit rainbows and unicorns all over this gay ass school!" Karofsky said angrily. Beatz grabbed Karofsky by the back of the shirt and slammed him into the wall.

"Andrew, don't!" David said quickly.

"Yeah, Andrew, don't." Karofsky mocked.

"You must have a fucking death wish coming here!" Beatz snarled at Karofsky.

"Andrew." Nick said firmly.

"If you ever come near him again, I will make your life a living fucking hell!" Beatz all but growled.

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"Is that a threat preppy?" Karofsky said egging him on. "No, it's a fucking promise!" Beatz replied.

"Andrew, let him go." David said from a few feet away.

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Beatz kept his eyes narrowed on Karofsky but let him go. Karofsky returned Beatz' glare before turning his head to sneer at Kurt and quickly exited the school. A few seconds after Karofsky was gone, Kurt's knees gave out from under him. Blaine instantly bent down next to him, wrapped his arms around Kurt to hold him, and shushed him comfortingly as Kurt sobbed into his chest. Nick and David sat down on either side of Kurt while Beatz paced back and forth in the corridor. They didn't know what was going through Kurt's mind but they didn't need to. All they needed to know was that their friend was going through something traumatic and they would do whatever they could to help Kurt find his way.

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CHAPTER NINE

Sectionals

Shortly after Kurt broke down in the corridor, exhaustion took over and he fell asleep in Blaine's arms. Beatz helped Blaine pick Kurt off the floor and Blaine carried him back to their room for the night. Despite Kurt being sound asleep, he clutched onto Blaine as if his life depended on it. After a short struggle, Blaine got Kurt to let go of him and clutch onto the blanket instead. How did everything go from amazing to disastrous in a matter of minutes? Blaine settled himself next to Kurt, wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist, and snuggled closely.

He couldn't help but cry quietly behind the sleeping boy. Seeing Kurt in a state of absolute fear broke his heart. He couldn't understand how someone could find enjoyment in another person's pain. He gripped Kurt a little tighter, wanting nothing more than to protect and love the boy. Kurt's body subconsciously responded by finding Blaine's hand and intertwining their fingers. Despite the anger and sadness he felt for Kurt and his situation, Blaine couldn't stop the smile that tugged at his lips. Kurt had kissed him and even though he had no idea what it meant, it gave him hope that together they'd be ok.

Kurt woke up around midnight with an odd mixture of feelings. He was terrified after what had happened that evening. Karofsky had found him, he always did, and he felt like his safe bubble had been ruptured. He felt like an idiot for thinking that the walls of Dalton would protect him from Karofsky or anybody else for that matter. He was embarrassed that he couldn't control himself from having a break down in front of his friends, which he knew resulted in him being carried back to his room. He was also undeniably nervous because he had kissed Blaine; the same boy who knew about his issues, the same boy who was always there to help him, and the same boy who was currently holding him tightly in bed. In a matter of two weeks, Blaine somehow broke through his walls and became someone he deeply cared for.

How he had gotten lucky enough to find a friend like Blaine he'll never know. I don't deserve someone like him. He's too good for me. Kurt held back the tears that threatened to spill over. He wanted to be Blaine's and for Blaine to be his desperately, but he felt so damaged and he knew that no one, not even the unbelievably caring Blaine, could possibly want him. His stomach growled loudly, making him remember that he hadn't eaten dinner earlier due to the intense Warbler rehearsal for Sectionals. He had planned on cooking himself something once rehearsal was over but of course, things never went as planned. He tried

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his best to silently slither away from the comforting grasp Blaine had on him without waking him up but as soon as he tried to move, Blaine's eyes shot open in alertness.

"Are you ok? What happened?" Blaine asked frantically.

"I'm fine. I was just hungry. I was going to sneak down to the kitchen to get something to eat. I didn't mean to wake you up, I'm sorry." Kurt said quietly.

"No, it's fine." Blaine assured him. "I'll go down with you."

"You really don't have to. I don't want to bother you." Kurt replied as he got out of the bed.

"You aren't bothering me, Kurt." Blaine said softly as he too got out of the bed. "Really. Besides, I'm a little hungry myself."

Kurt nodded but said nothing as he stepped into his slippers and quietly opened the door. Blaine followed suit, stopping himself from reaching over to hold Kurt's hand. They walked down to the kitchen quietly, both feeling nervous and a little awkward. They stayed quiet while they searched the kitchen for food. Kurt didn't particularly feel like cooking anything so he went to grab some cereal. Blaine decided to make himself a sandwich and together they ate silently. There were so many questions between them but neither one dared to say anything. Blaine was just about done with his sandwich when he could no longer take the silence. He placed his hand on top of Kurt's in order to get his attention since Kurt hadn't looked up from his bowl of cereal since they had sat down.

"Hey. Are you ok?"

Kurt looked up at Blaine, melting at the sincerity and kindness in his eyes. He quickly looked away as the tears welled up in his eyes. It was all too much for him to handle. Instead of answering Blaine's question, he pulled his hand away, grabbed his almost empty bowl, and walked over to the sink.

"Kurt?" Blaine said softly.

Kurt couldn't control the tears that fell from his eyes. Despite having his back turned to Blaine, Blaine could tell from the movement of his shoulders that he was crying. Blaine left his unfinished sandwich on the table, walked over to Kurt, placed a hand on his shoulder, and turned him around.

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"Kurt?"

"I'm sorry." Kurt choked out before Blaine pulled him in for a hug.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Kurt." Blaine said quietly.

"Yes there is!" Kurt argued. "I'm sorry for always being such a mess. I'm sorry for depending on you so much."

"Kurt."

"It isn't fair!" Kurt cried into Blaine's shoulder. "This was supposed to be my safe place. He wasn't supposed to find me! It's not fair! It's not fair that he ruined my life! It's not fair that he raped me!" Blaine's heart sank at Kurt's admittance of being raped. He knew that Kurt was abused by Karofsky but he didn't know the extent of it until that moment. "It's not fair that he took everything from me! It's not fair that he ruined our kiss! It's not fair that you're so wonderful when I'm so weak and pathetic! It's just not fair!"

"Kurt, you are not weak or pathetic." Blaine told him.

"Yes, I am! Look at me? I'm disgusting and worthless and no one's ever going to love me! He took that away from me and-"

"Kurt, stop." Blaine said firmly as he backed away from the hug. He cupped Kurt's face with his hands, looking at him intently as he wiped Kurt's tears with his thumb. "Kurt Hummel, you listen to me right now. You're right, it isn't fair that you've had to go through all this but you are crazy if you think that no one will love you."

"Blaine, I-"

"No, I'm not done." Blaine interrupted. "I meant what I said earlier. You are amazing! God, I can't even begin to describe just how amazing you are. You aren't pathetic or weak. You're strong and determined. I know you feel used and I know you think that you're worthless but you are so wrong. Please, please believe me when I tell you that nothing he did to you makes you any of those things. It doesn't make you disgusting and it doesn't make you unlovable. It makes him a disgusting monster."

"Who could possibly love me?" Kurt muttered.

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"I could." Blaine said softly. "Kurt, when you kissed me today, I felt like my entire universe exploded. Do you have any idea how much I care about you? Do you have any idea how much I want to be that guy who walks down the hall hand in hand with you?"

"How? How could you see me more than some pitiful-"

"You are not pitiful, Kurt. You are wonderful!" Blaine said with a hint of desperation. "You're beautiful and enchanting and kind-hearted and passionate and talented and funny and intelligent and just..."

Blaine ran out ways to describe how amazing Kurt was so instead he showed him. He closed the gap between them and pressed his lips onto Kurt's. Kurt froze for a moment, letting his mind wrap around the fact that Blaine was kissing him. Blaine was about to back away when Kurt didn't reciprocate the kiss but stopped as Kurt wrapped his arms around his neck. Their lips moved in perfect synchronization. All thoughts of Karofsky were gone as they melted into each other's embrace. There were so many emotions, so much hope in that simple kiss, that when they finally broke apart, neither boy could stop the smile on their face.

"Now do you believe me?" Blaine asked just above a whisper. "I guess I have to now." Kurt replied, his head reeling.

"You should. I would never lie to you." Kurt blushed and looked away, unable to hold Blaine's gaze. "We should get to bed, Sectionals tomorrow and all." Blaine said.

Kurt looked back up at Blaine, a shy smile playing at his lips. "Right. Sectionals." Neither boy said anything after that. They simply cleaned the dishes they used and walked back to their room hand in hand.

When Blaine woke up that next morning, he felt like he was on cloud 9. He wasn't sure what was going to happen with him and Kurt but he was certain that it would all be ok. He couldn't help but smile at the beautiful sleeping boy next to him. Without any hesitation, he leaned over to Kurt and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Kurt, who had been awake for a little while already but didn't move because being in Blaine's arms felt too incredible, blushed at the action and turned his head slightly to look at Blaine.

"Morning." Kurt said quietly.

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"Morning." Blaine replied softly. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great. I always do when I sleep with you." the words escaped Kurt's lips before he could even realize what he was saying.

"Me too." was all Blaine could reply as he continued to look at Kurt with adoration.

Kurt blushed again and maneuvered himself to sit up just as someone knocked on their door. Kurt went to open it, his face falling when he saw that it was Thad. Seeing Thad reminded him of what happened the evening before, popping the happy bubble he had currently been in.

"Hey, Kurt. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Thad asked cautiously.

"Sure." Kurt shrugged and let him in.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Thad said quietly, his eyes downcast. "I didn't know who that guy was, I still don't know, but the guys told me what happened last night and it's my fault for letting him in and I am just really, really sorry."

"It's ok, Thad. How could you know that he's the reason I'm here." Kurt said sullenly.

"Really? Oh God, Kurt! I'm so, so sorry!" Thad said quickly, his guilt intensifying.

"Thad, it's fine. Please don't beat yourself over something that you didn't know. I promise I'm not mad at you or anything. I'm not even mad at Puck for not keeping his mouth shut about where I was. Karofsky would've found me anyway, he always does." Kurt said with an edgy tone that didn't go unnoticed by either Thad or Blaine.

"Are you sure you aren't mad at me? I mean, I know we don't talk much but it would suck if you hated me." Thad admitted quietly.

"I'm sure." Kurt assured him.

"Alright." Thad said with a small smile. "Listen, if you don't think you can handle performing today just let me know. Not that we don't want you to sing with us, but Wes, David, and I agreed that it might be too much for you after last night and we don't want you to feel uncomfortable or anything."

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"No, no!" Kurt replied quickly. "I'll perform. I don't want to let this control me. I'm not saying that I won't be anxious but I definitely don't want to sit out."

"Only if you're really sure, Kurt." Thad told him. "I am." Kurt nodded.

"Alright, I'll let them know. We're leaving in two hours so we'll see you both down there." Thad told them and walked out of the room.

"Kurt, what did you mean when you told Thad that Karofsky always finds you?" Blaine asked curiously.

Kurt turned around to look at Blaine and sighed heavily before taking Blaine's hand. He led them over to the bed and sat down. "I mean just that, Blaine. I spent all of last year and part of this year literally hiding from him. Whether it was at school or I was out with my friends, he'd always show up to ruin everything. That's what he does, he finds me and ruins me." Kurt said as a few tears streamed down his face. "I'm scared, Blaine. I can't get away from him, not even here and I'm just so scared."

"Oh, Kurt." Blaine said softly. "I know you're scared but I promise you that I won't let him do anything to you again."

"You can't promise that, Blaine." Kurt snapped.

"Too late, I already did." Blaine replied smirking. "But I'm serious, Kurt. I won't let him anywhere near you

again, ever, and I promise you that I won't let him ruin this either." He said gesturing to the two of them. "And what is this?" Kurt asked him.

"I don't know, but I like it. I like you and this makes me happy." Blaine said smiling shyly.

"Me too." Kurt replied blushing.

Blaine couldn't help but lean forward and kiss Kurt lightly. When he backed away, he kept his eyes locked with Kurt's, conveying nothing but adoration and happiness while Kurt's conveyed appreciation and hope. "We should get ready." Blaine said, sighing contently.

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"Yeah." Kurt agreed. "I'm going go talk to Beatz first though, I'll be back."

Kurt left the room a little lighter than when Thad came to see him. He was still trying to process everything but he knew that as long as he had Blaine, he would be ok. He knocked on Beatz' door and waited patiently for him to open it.

"Hey." Beatz said when he opened his door to see Kurt. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you." Kurt told him.

"I thought you weren't going to talk to me anymore?" Beatz teased as he let Kurt in the room. As soon as the door was closed, Kurt punched Beatz on the arm as hard as he could muster. "Hey! What was that for?"

"That was for being stupid." Kurt quipped. "I resent that." Beatz said crossing his arms.

"I'm sure you do." Kurt replied before stepping forward and giving Beatz a tight hug. "And that was for being such a great friend. I know I was mad at you for telling the guys but I'm honestly glad you did."

"Why? Because you kissed Blaine?" Beatz asked smirking.

"Yes, because I kissed Blaine and kissing Blaine led to him telling me that he liked me." Kurt said blushing. "I also wanted to thank you for what you did with Karofsky. I've never had anyone stand up for me the way you and the guys have and I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

"I already told you, I'm not going to let that asshole touch you again. He's lucky the guys were there or I would've beaten the living hell out of him." Beatz said angrily.

"I'm glad you didn't. I don't think it would've made a difference and you would've gotten in trouble." Kurt pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Beatz shrugged. "But anyway, how are you and Blaine?" - 86 -

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"Blaine and I are good, really good." Kurt said smiling.

"Good. You deserve happiness in your life, Kurt. I'm glad Blaine can provide that for you." Beatz said sincerely.

"Me too, Beatz. Me too."

For once, Kurt didn't argue with him about whether or not he deserved happiness because he actually believed him. If there was one thing that Kurt learned from Karofsky's visit was that the Warblers would always be there for him. He was by no means ok yet, healing took time and support. He was on his way however and he knew that unless he trusted and believed in his fellow Warblers, he would never heal.

When the Warblers arrived at the school that was hosting Sectionals, Kurt began to silently panic. He was worried that Karofsky would show up to the competition just to scare him and he was sure that if Beatz saw him again, he'd lose it. Blaine could sense the sudden anxiety in Kurt so he rubbed small comforting circles with his thumb on Kurt's hand. Despite the fact that they had held hands the entire bus drive, Kurt couldn't help but blush at the sweet gesture. Once they were signed in, they went to the dressing room that was designated for the Warblers to do vocal warm-ups.

"Hey Wes, could I go tell my friends good luck?" Kurt had asked before they started.

"Kurt, I understand you wanting to see them but you are a Warbler now and that means that you have a responsibility to us. You can't just-"

"Wes, give him a break." David cut in. "Go ahead, Kurt. You got 10 minutes" "Thanks David." Kurt said smiling.

"You want me to come with?" Blaine asked him.

"Sure, if you want." Kurt shrugged.

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"I do." Blaine replied holding his hand out to Kurt. Kurt smiled appreciatively at him, grabbed his hand,

and walked out of the room.

\- 87 -

Kurt could hear several members of the New Directions arguing inside their dressing room and shook his head. "So, do you remember how you warned me about the Warblers before I met them?" He whispered to Blaine.

"Yeah." Blaine said curiously.

"Well, here's my warning for you: they're a little crazy, kind of scary, and definitely a unique bunch." Kurt said smirking.

Blaine raised an eyebrow, smirked, and nodded. "Ok." he said. Kurt knocked on the dressing room door, nearly jumping into Blaine's arms when it opened abruptly.

"WHAT?! Kurt!" Mercedes said excitedly. She threw her arms around him, making him drop Blaine's hand and hugged her tightly.

"Hey 'Cedes." Kurt said smiling.

"Is that my dolphin?" Brittany called from inside the room.

"Yes, Britt it's me." Kurt said, following Mercedes into the room.

"Dolphin?" Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear.

"I'll tell you later." Kurt whispered back.

"They can't be here!" Rachel said quickly. "We all love you, Kurt but you're the competition now and you can't-"

"Shut up, dwarf." Santana cut in. "It's good to see, Kurt. You look good." She said sincerely. "Thanks, Santana." Kurt said smiling. "I just wanted to come and wish you all good luck." "We're going to need it." Rachel mumbled to herself.

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"Didn't I say to shut up?" Santana snapped at her. Rachel glared at her and crossed her arms in aggravation but didn't say anything else. "So who's the hottie?" she asked, nodding towards Blaine.

"This is Blaine, Blaine meet the New Directions." Kurt introduced.

"Hello." Blaine said with a charming smile.

"You know, I don't usually go for prep school boys, but I'd make an exception for you." Santana flirted.

"Um, thanks." Blaine said nervously. "I appreciate the offer but I'm gay."

"That's too bad." Santana shrugged. "You best be tappin that Hummel."

"Gross, Santana! That's my brother!" Finn cut in.

"Don't be such a prude, Frankenteen." Santana said rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Puck. Could I talk to you for a moment?" Blaine said.

"Uh...sure." Puck said slowly and followed Blaine out.

"What's that about?" Mercedes asked curiously.

"He probably wants to talk to him about what happened last night." Kurt said quietly.

"What happened?" Finn asked.

"He uh...well...Karofsky overheard Puck say that I was at an all-boy prep school and he showed up at Dalton." Kurt told them.

"What?!" Finn gasped.

"Oh my God, boo are you ok?" Mercedes asked.

"Did Karofsky try anything?" Santana asked angrily. "I'm still pissed at him for making you leave and I am itching for a reason to pull my razors out on him!" - 89 -

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"It's fine, I'm ok." Kurt assured them. "I was a little shaken up yesterday but I'm ok. He didn't do anything other than scare the crap out of me."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, dude, are you sure?" Finn asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. The guys got rid of him and calmed me down, so I'm good." Kurt told them.

Puck suddenly came back in the room, walked straight over to Kurt, and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Kurt! I'm such an idiot. I should've known that he would try and find you. I wasn't thinking."

"There's a shock." Mercedes said rolling her eyes.

"It's fine, Puck. I know you didn't mean to. He would've found me eventually." Kurt said, laughing bitterly.

"Kurt, we better go before Wes blows a blood vessel." Blaine said from the doorway.

"Yeah, ok." Kurt nodded at him. "Good luck out there guys. I know things were rough towards the end there but I miss you guys."

"We miss you too, boo." Mercedes said giving him another tight hug.

"Next time I come home for the weekend we'll do a New Directions sleep over, I promise." Kurt told them. He gave his old friends a final smile and walked out.

"They're interesting." Blaine commented.

"Yes, yes they are." Kurt agreed.

"Dolphin?" Blaine asked.

"Brittany, as sweet as she is, is not the brightest crayon in the box. She thinks that dolphins are just gay sharks and since I'm gay, I became her dolphin." Kurt said smirking.

"Wow, no kidding." Blaine laughed.

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"Yeah. What did you say to Puck?"

"Just that he should be more careful about when he talks about you in public. I hope you don't mind." Blaine said sheepishly.

"Not at all." Kurt said smiling shyly. Blaine smiled back at him, slipped his hand into Kurt's, and walked back to the Warbler's dressing room.

Sectionals had been quite the success. The Warblers tied with the New Directions for first place sending both groups to Regionals, Kurt didn't throw up on stage like he thought he would, and Karofsky was nowhere in sight. Burt and Carole finally met the Warblers, all of whom immediately won Carole's heart with their undeniable charm. Burt was taken aback by camaraderie between the boys and was glad to see that not only was Kurt getting along well with them, but that Kurt was actually happy. The boys spent they're afternoon celebrating their win by pigging out on junk food and playing video games while Wes frantically looked through song choices for Regionals.

"Wes, we just had Sectionals. Can't you relax for like, 10 minutes?" Trent asked him.

"Did you see the New Directions? They're amazing! We have to step our game up if we want to beat them

at Regionals." Wes told him.

"Yeah, I'm not going to lie, if Rachel had sung the solo, and then the duet with Finn, they probably would've won. Don't for a second think that she isn't pointing that out to them." Kurt chimed in.

"What's with Rachel anyway? She seems very...intense." Blaine said. "Oh, she is." Kurt said laughing.

By the time the evening came around, Wes had recruited Thad, Sebastian, David, Nick, and Jeff in search for song options while the rest of the Warblers went off to do their own thing. Kurt was sitting on one of the couches, listening to Wes argue with others when Blaine tapped his shoulder. Blaine nodded at Kurt to

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follow him so Kurt stood up, grabbed Blaine's outstretched hand, and let him lead the way. They ended up walking to the flower garden and sat down on one of the benches.

"It's so nice out here." Kurt commented as he laid his head on Blaine's shoulder. "Yeah, it really is." Blaine said, resting his head on Kurt's. "Hey, Kurt?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to go out on a date with me tomorrow?"

Kurt quickly sat upright and looked at Blaine in shock. "What?"

"Would you like to go out on a date with me tomorrow?" Blaine repeated nervously. "Y-yeah. I-I'd love to." Kurt said breathily.

"Great." Blaine replied smiling broadly.

"Great." Kurt said, matching Blaine's smile.

They sat on that bench for a while after that in silence, Kurt's head on Blaine's shoulder, Blaine's head on Kurt's, and their fingers intertwined. They enjoyed the simplicity they shared with one another, both thrilled that the evening was going so well. Despite the fact that Karofsky had sent Kurt back into a shell of fear, he couldn't help but feel safe and comfortable with Blaine. The way Blaine made him feel was something that he truly did not fathom, but he knew that he would do everything he could to not let his insecurities and fears ruin the possibility of being with him. Even if he did feel like damaged goods, he knew that Blaine cared for him and he was going to hold on to that for as long as he could.

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CHAPTER TEN

What Are The Chances

When Kurt woke up that next morning, Blaine was nowhere in sight. He looked around the room, finding a note from Blaine telling him to dress warmly and to be ready by 12pm. It was 11:45 and he was absolutely frantic. He was more than frantic, he was freaking out big time. He'd never been on a date before and the fact that he was going on one with Blaine of all people was making him act like an insane person. I can't do this! I can't do this! Oh my God, I cannot do this! Kurt paced back in forth in their room, rubbing his hands nervously as the clock ticked closer to 12. There was a quick knock on his door, making him jump nervously, and nearly knocking Pavarotti's cage down. He's early! Ok, you can do this. You. Can. Do. This. He walked over to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it to see that it was Beatz and Nick, not Blaine.

"Someone looks nervous." Beatz said in a singsong voice.

"What? Me, nervous? No." Kurt replied shakily as he let the boys enter the room.

"Oh yes, I can tell." Beatz said raising his eyebrow.

"Ok, so maybe I'm a little nervous." Kurt said quietly.

"Just a little?" Nick asked smirking.

"Ok, ok!" Kurt said exasperatedly. "I'm a lot nervous! Happy now?"

"Kurt, you're going to be fine. You know that, right?" Nick asked with a hint of amusement.

"Yes, I know I'm going to be fine." Kurt snapped. "It's just...this is my first date and it's with Blaine and I can't help but freak out because it's Blaine! He's sweet and funny and charming and caring and wonderful and gorgeous! What if he decides that he really doesn't like me? What if he decides that I'm boring and not worth the effort? What if-"

"Kurt, stop." Beatz said firmly. "You are freaking out over nothing."

"But what if-"

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"No buts, Kurt. Breathe, relax. Everything's going to be fine." Nick assured him.

Kurt took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "You're right. It's going to be fine. I'm going to be fine. No reason to panic."

"Good." Beatz said smiling broadly. He glanced at Nick quickly and nodded prompting Nick to pull out black blindfold.

"What are you doing?!" Kurt asked in a panic when Nick reached over to tie the blindfold over his eyes. "Sorry, Blaine's orders." Nick said smiling, attempting to tie the blindfold again.

"What do mean Blaine's order?" Kurt asked quickly, dodging Nick.

"We are to blindfold you and drive you to the date." Beatz told him.

"The fuck you are." Kurt scoffed.

"You just said fuck." Nick said in shock. "Will you say it again and let me record it?"

"Haha, very funny." Kurt replied crossing his arms.

"No, I'm totally serious! I've never heard you cuss before. Please?" Nick pleaded, quickly pulling out his phone.

Kurt glared at him for a moment before snatching the phone out of his hand and pressing the record button. "Fuck. Shit. Damn. Hell. Whore. Bitch. Asshole. Bastard. Douche. Jackass. Dumbass. Oh and just for good measure, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck."

"Oh my God!" Beatz said laughing. "That has to be the funniest shit I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

"I'm so glad that I amuse you." Kurt snapped as he handed Nick his phone back. "I am so sending that to all the Warblers." Nick said laughing.

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"You better not!" Kurt said quickly.

"Too late." Nick said beaming. "Now come on, blindfold on." Kurt huffed in annoyance but let Nick put the blindfold on nonetheless. Nick and Beatz then led him to the car and drove off to the date's destination.

Kurt hated the blindfold, loathed it. He hated not knowing where they were going and he hated not being able to see. It made him extremely anxious and he had to constantly remind himself that everything would be fine. The drive itself was a couple of hours long and Kurt was glad that they had the radio on. Humming along with the songs kept him as calm as he could be considering the blindfold. He kept asking them where they were going but neither one would answer his question. In fact, they completely ignored the question and changed the topic instantly to something completely unrelated. For most of the ride, Kurt sat in the back seat pouting and sighing loudly, indicating just how annoyed he really was. When Kurt heard the car turn off, he sighed in relief and went to take his blindfold off.

"Nope, not yet." Beatz said stopping him.

"Oh come on!" Kurt aid exasperatedly.

Kurt heard the car door open and then felt Nick's hand on his shoulder. He let Nick help him out of the car guide him a few feet before coming to an abrupt halt. "Stay here." Nick said and walked away. This is ridiculous! What kind of date is this? "Here, take this." Nick said and handed him a rope.

"Um...ok..."

"Now, follow this rope. When you feel the tug, stop and take off the blindfold." Nick told him.

"Nick, I don't know about this." Kurt said nervously.

"Quit being a baby!" Kurt heard Beatz call out.

"Just trust me, Kurt. Trust Blaine." Nick said comfortingly.

Kurt let out a frustrated sigh and nodded. He followed the rope slowly, alternating it between his hands, growing more anxious and more impatient the further he got. He couldn't be completely sure but he

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thought the ground beneath him began to uphill. What is this? Some weird Jack and Jill date? He continued to walk, quickening his pace slightly, and then finally stopping when he felt the tug of the rope. He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, slowly took the blindfold off, and gasped at the sight in front of him.

He was standing in front of the wildflower meadow that his mother used to take him to. No. Way. He glanced around for only a moment and spotted Blaine standing by the same Oak tree he knew, his Oak tree. Blaine was smiling broadly at him and Kurt could see that he set up a picnic for them. He eyes welled up in tears as all the fond memories he had of the meadow came rushing back to him. How did he know? How could he know? Kurt slowly made his way across the meadow towards Blaine, taking in the smells of the flowers, and not even attempting to stop the tears that streamed down his face.

"Blaine." Kurt whispered brokenly when he reached him.

"Hey. Sorry for all the mystery but I wanted this to be special." Blaine said shyly. Kurt began to cry harder because really, how much more special could it get? "Kurt, what's wrong?"

"It's just...you're perfect." Kurt said softly.

"I am far from it, believe me." Blaine said with a small smile. "I brought you here because it's beautiful and peaceful. I had a nanny who used to bring me here when I was a little. It's always had a special place in my heart and I wanted to share that with you." Blaine then took Kurt's hand, pulled him over to the Oak tree, and bent down to show him the initials he had carved so many years before. "This was the last time I was here. My dad ended up firing her for this reason or that and the other nanny's refused to bring me."

Kurt traced the letters BA and thought back to the day that he and his mom had found them. "Mommy, look! Someone named the tree!" Kurt said excitedly. "BA? I wonder what it stands for." "Maybe it stands for beautiful area or bubbly anecdotes." His mom said smiling.

"Or bathing ants!" Kurt suggested.

"Bathing ants?" his mom questioned.

"Well, yeah. Ants have to take a bath too, Mommy." Kurt told her seriously.

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"You are absolutely right, Kurty." She said smiling fondly. "Mommy, can we name the tree too?" Kurt asked her. "Sure, honey."

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Kurt stood up from where they were kneeling and walked around the tree until he found his and mother's initials. He traced the KH and EH, smiling fondly at the memory. "My mom used to bring me here too." Kurt told Blaine.

Blaine looked at the initials that Kurt was still tracing, reached out for his hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Kurt Hummel and..."

"Elizabeth." Kurt supplied.

"Elizabeth. It's a beautiful name." Blaine said sincerely.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine and sighed contently before leaning in for quick but tender kiss. "Thank you, Blaine, for everything."

"You're welcome." Blaine replied smiling. "Come on, let's eat."

Blaine had packed them the perfect picnic in Kurt's opinion. He had packed a ton of fruit, two delicious sandwiches, some water, several different sweet treats, and a mug filled with coffee. They sat and ate their food quietly, exchanging shy glances every so often, and enjoying the tranquility of it all. Once they were done eating, Blaine pulled out a blanket Kurt hadn't noticed earlier and wrapped it around himself as he sat on the ground and leaned against the Oak tree. He opened his arms widely, beckoning Kurt to sit with him. Kurt sat himself down in between Blaine's open legs and arms, sighing contently as Blaine wrapped his arms and the blanket around him protectively.

"Blaine."

"Hmm?"

"Will you sing to me?"

\- 97 -

Blaine smiled adoringly at Kurt before planting a small kiss on his forehead. "Sure."

I've been alone Surrounded by darkness I've seen how heartless The world can be

I've seen you crying

You felt like it's hopeless I'll always do my best To make you see

Kurt closed his eyes, letting himself drift off to sleep as Blaine continued to sing. "Not Alone" was one of Kurt's all-time favorite songs, but despite how many he had heard it before, it was nothing compared to having Blaine sing it to him.

Baby, you're not alone

Cause you're here with me

And nothing's ever gonna bring us down Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you And you know it's true

It don't matter what'll come to be

Our love is all we need to make it through

Blaine lightly caressed Kurt's arm, smiling at the fact that he was able to help Kurt relax so easily in his arms. In just a few short weeks, Kurt had stolen his heart. He had crushes before but none compared to how he felt for the boys in his arms.

Now I know it ain't easy But it ain't hard trying Every time I see you smiling And I feel you so close to me And you tell me

Baby, you're not alone

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Cause you're here with me

And nothing's ever gonna bring us down Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you And you know it's true

It don't matter what'll come to be

Our love is all we need to make it through

\- 99 -

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

It Was Perfect

Kurt couldn't remember the last time he was so happy. Sitting underneath the Oak tree, wrapped up in Blaine's arms, had to be one of his top five moments in life. He couldn't deny the connection he felt to Blaine nor did he want to anymore. Blaine was something out of a fairy tale book and Kurt felt incredibly lucky to be one Blaine choose to share such an important part of him. Blaine was quickly becoming Kurt's favorite person in the world and while a huge part of him was terrified, another part was elated. I can always count on him, no matter what. It's so nice not being afraid and I owe it all to Blaine and the Warblers.

"Whatcha thinking?" Blaine asked softly. They had been sitting underneath the Oak tree for a couple of hours already and Blaine could tell that Kurt was deep in thought.

"I was just thinking about happy I am whenever I'm with you and the Warblers." Kurt replied contently.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that." Blaine replied, nuzzling his nose into the crook of Kurt's neck.

"Blaine." Kurt whined slightly.

"Sorry." Blaine replied sheepishly.

"It's fine, it just tickled." Kurt replied blushing a little.

"Oh yeah? So you're ticklish, huh? Good to know." Blaine teased.

Kurt quickly turned his head to glare at Blaine. "Don't even think about it, Blaine Anderson."

"Too late." Blaine smirked at him. Kurt rolled his eyes and turned away before Blaine could see the smile on his face. Truth was, the thought of Blaine tickling him made him giddy. "Hey, can I ask you a question?" Blaine said suddenly very serious.

"Sure." Kurt told him.

"It's about...what happened to you." Blaine said quietly as he lightly traced random shapes on Kurt's arm.

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"Oh." Kurt said quietly. "Yeah...you can ask."

"I was just...I was wondering how many times it happened." Blaine said cautiously.

Kurt took in a deep breath to center himself before answering. "Just once. I...he...I think he was scared that I would tell someone after it happened so he left me alone for a few weeks. I was so terrified those weeks. I knew that as soon as I let my guard down he'd come for me again. The night that Finn found me cutting was the same day that Karofsky tried again; or rather, I'm sure he would've if he found. I was in the library working on a paper and I saw him come in, and I immediately hid behind the book shelves way in the back. I was so sure that he'd find me and...I got lucky though. The librarian knew that I often hid in there from the jocks and when she saw him, she forced him to leave."

Blaine nodded, his fingers lightly trailing up and down Kurt's arm. "So, Finn was the one who found you?"

"Yeah. I was always very meticulous about doing it but that night, I don't know...I was too lost in my own world to care if I got caught I guess." Kurt shrugged.

"I'm glad you did. If Finn hadn't found you then you wouldn't have come to Dalton." Blaine replied quietly.

"Yeah, I know. I'm glad he found me too." Kurt said as he snuggled closer to Blaine.

Blaine held Kurt a little tighter, both staying silent for a short while before Blaine spoke up. "My grandmother was the one who found me. She had a pretty strong opinion about my sexuality but when she found me, everything changed. Within a week I was moving out of my parents' house and in with her. It wasn't hard for her to convince my father to let me move. He didn't care as long as his 'faggot son' wasn't around to ruin his reputation." Blaine said bitterly. "My grandmother was amazing. She spent my first night with her by listening to me tell her everything. She told me how sorry she was for what I've been through and she told me how I would be her grandson no matter what my lifestyle was. I guess seeing me in such a bad position made her realize that I was human and not some abomination."

"Did your parents know about the cutting?" Kurt asked curiously.

"I'm pretty sure my father knew but he didn't care. He stopped caring about me a long time ago." Blaine

said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Blaine. You don't deserve to be treated like that." Kurt said sincerely. - 101 -

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"Thanks. It took me awhile to believe that. Nick was rather insistent though. Kind of like Beatz is with you." Blaine said with a small chuckle.

"We're lucky we have those crazies in our lives then." Kurt said smiling.

"That we are." Blaine agreed.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine just as Blaine turned to look at Kurt. At the exact time, they leaned in towards one another and kissed. For Blaine, kissing Kurt was like being shot through space. The trust behind Kurt's kiss made Blaine dizzy and he was sure that it was the most amazing feeling in the world. For Kurt, kissing Blaine was like breathing for the first time. There was so much love and tenderness behind it that Kurt couldn't imagine kissing anyone else for the rest of his life. They seemed to fit so perfectly together and Kurt knew in that instant that he loved Blaine. He was sure that he would never love anyone else like he did Blaine at that very moment. They kissed for a while longer before deciding it was time to head back to Dalton. Kurt picked several flowers before leaving while Blaine packed everything up. They didn't say much to each other after that but they didn't need to. Everything was right with world and they refused to let anything ruin it.

During the drive back, they sang along with the radio with no shame. Kurt laughed as Blaine goofily sang along with all of his favorite songs while Blaine smiled adoringly at Kurt anytime he lost himself to a song. When Perfect by P!nk came on, Blaine was thrown for a loop. Kurt sang it with such intensity that Blaine actually thought about pulling over just to watch Kurt sing it. He joined him when the chorus started, smiling brightly at how perfectly they blended together. Halfway through the song, an idea struck him and he couldn't wait to get back to Dalton to tell Wes.

It was just past nightfall when they returned to Dalton, both still smiling goofily at how great their first date went. Since they would be missing Dalton's dinner, they decided that they would cook dinner together. While Kurt went into the kitchen to see what they could whip up, Blaine went to have a quick talk with Wes, Thad, and David.

"Hey, how was it?" David asked Blaine as soon as he walked into the common room.

"It was perfect." Blaine said smiling brightly. "Speaking of perfect, I wanted to run something by you guys."

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\- 102 -

"What's up?" Wes asked curiously. Before Blaine could answer, David's cell phone went off, playing his new ringtone thanks to Nick.

"What was that?" Blaine asked confused.

"Apparently Kurt has quite the mouth on him when he's angry." Thad said smirking.

"What?"

"Yeah, here, let me play it." David said laughing. "Nick recorded it this morning and sent it to all the Warblers."

Blaine listened to Kurt say several cuss words and couldn't help but laugh. "Does Kurt know about this?" "Yeah, he knows." Wes said chuckling. "So what did you run past us?"

"Well, I had an idea for Regionals."

Kurt was staring at all the ingredients he pulled out for whatever dinner he and Blaine were going to cook when Sebastian, one of the Warbler seniors, came into the kitchen. "Hey, what are you cooking?"

"I don't know yet. I'm waiting for Blaine to get back so he can help me decide." Kurt told him. "Ah, yes. You and the dapper Mr. Anderson had a date today." Sebastian said smirking.

"Yes we did." Kurt replied shyly.

"Well, how was it?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"It was perfect." Kurt said smiling broadly.

"Good, glad to hear it." Sebastian said sincerely.

"Speaking of dates, have you asked him out yet?" Kurt asked him.

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\- 103 -

"No." Sebastian said sadly.

"Why not?" Kurt asked.

"Because...I don't know. I just haven't, ok?" Sebastian said defensively.

"Ok, sorry." Kurt replied quietly.

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just...it's hard talking about him." Sebastian said sullenly. "I know but Bastian, I'm pretty sure he likes you too." Kurt said with a small smile.

"I doubt it. Not with my past." Sebastian told him.

"You don't really believe that. You're just making excuses." Kurt said knowingly.

Sebastian shrugged in response but said nothing. Kurt didn't know about Sebastian's past nor did Sebastian know about his, but they both were more similar than they knew. They shared the same Advanced French class but rarely talked. The only reason Kurt knew who Sebastian liked was because he caught him staring one day in class and had called him out on it. Sebastian wasn't one to let people in, but because of Kurt's stubborn persistence, he ended up confessing his feelings. Kurt had been trying to get Sebastian to ask his fellow Warbler out ever since.

"Hey, Bastion." Blaine said as he walked in the kitchen.

"Hey, Blaine." Sebastian said smiling. "I'll let you two lovebirds get to cooking." He said winking as he made his way out.

"Oh, hey, Thad was looking for you just now." Blaine told him before he left. "Oh? Did he say what he needed?" Sebastian asked nervously.

"No, just that he was wondering where you were." Blaine told him.

"Oh, ok. I'll see you guys later." Sebastian said and quickly walked out.

\- 104 -

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"What was that about?" Blaine asked, confused by Sebastian's behavior.

"Nothing, he just...has some things to work through." Kurt told him.

"Alright." Blaine said slowly. "So, I heard the most interesting thing from the guys."

"Oh yeah?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Yeah and it sounded a lot like you with very colorful language." Blaine said smirking.

"You heard Nick's recording, huh?" Kurt said looking down in embarrassment.

"Yes I did, and it was hilarious." Blaine chuckled.

"Oh well, I'm so glad I amuse you." Kurt said rolling his eyes.

"You do in fact, all the time." Blaine said as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist from behind. "So what's for dinner?"

"Not sure." Kurt shrugged.

After a few minutes of discussing their options, they decided to cook Chicken Carbonara. While Kurt was excellent at cooking French food, Blaine was amazing at cooking Italian. Blaine had instructed Kurt on what they needed to do and Kurt gladly listened. The other Warblers soon smelled the delicious aroma that wafted from the house kitchen and before Kurt and Blaine knew it, they were cooking for all of them. Neither one of them had minded though. The Warblers were their brothers and both loved them all dearly.

As the evening came to a close and the boys went their own way, Kurt and Blaine descended into their room. Their day had gone so well that neither wanted it to end. They both decided to take early showers and head to bed. They didn't ask who was sleeping where or how. They both simply crawled into Blaine's bed together for the night. They kissed softly for a while, enjoying the comfort from the other boy. They didn't know what they were nor did they ask. They just wanted everything to continue on its path to perfection. Being in each other's arms was something they had both wanted for a long time; the comfort and security someone gets from being with the person they loved. They both knew they were young and they both understood that there was a lot they still had to experience but neither one wanted to

\- 105 -

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experience anything else without the other. They were both in their own bubble of amazingness in the bubble that was Dalton and nothing was going to get in their way.

\- 106 -

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CHAPTER TWELVE

Secrets Out

That following week went by fairly well for Kurt. On Monday, he told the dean about his encounter with Karofsky. He hadn't exactly wanted to tell her since nothing really happened, but the guys insisted that it was something that needed to be done. The conversation he had with the dean had been a difficult one to the say the least, especially when she asked him if he had a picture of Karofsky so she could pass on to the staff, forcing him to pull up Karofsky's Facebook page to show her. The dean then saved the picture and emailed it to the entire staff with a warning attached. Kurt had expected the teachers to treat him differently after that email but was once again surprised by the magic that was Dalton when the teachers acted the same. According to Beatz, the staff had a list of people that weren't allowed on school grounds for this reason or that. Adding Karofsky to that list just meant that they had someone new to keep an eye out for. Other than his slightly rough Monday, the week had gone well.

Blaine and he hadn't talked about the date or what anything meant but they definitely made sure to show their feelings. Blaine was sweeter and gentler than Kurt knew was even possible for the young man and Kurt was opening up more and more to Blaine. They held hands quite a bit throughout the week, they were constantly aware of the one another whenever they were in the same room, and at night they would kiss gently for a while before heading off to sleep. None of the Warblers asked them if they were official or pried for information. They just enjoyed watching the two boys be happy with each other. The understanding between the Warblers was something that Kurt couldn't help but marvel at and he truly loved it. Had it been the New Directions, they would've pried and even tormented him for information. Thinking of the New Directions always made him feel sad. Despite the issues and the drama the club had, they were still his friends and seeing them at Sectionals reminded him just how much he missed them.

When Friday afternoon came around, Kurt was actually kind of excited to go home. He had planned a sleepover with all the New Directions and was really looking forward to hanging out with them.

"Are you going to be ok this weekend?" Blaine asked him while they waited for Burt to pick Kurt up for the weekend.

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"Yeah, I'll be ok." Kurt said with a small smile. "The New Directions are staying over tomorrow night so

they'll be a good distraction."

\- 107 -

"I'm glad that you get to see them. They seem to really care about you." Blaine said sincerely.

"They do." Kurt assured him. "I mean yeah, they tend to lose sight of the more important things in life every so often but they're really not that bad."

"Do any of them know?" Blaine asked curiously.

"No. They wouldn't understand and I'm pretty sure at they would murder him if they found out. In fact, I'm sure Santana and Puckerman already have a plan to do just that for making me leave." Kurt said with a small chuckle.

"What about your dad?" Blaine wondered.

"Oh no." Kurt replied quickly. "I couldn't tell my dad. His heart wouldn't be able to take it. Besides, he'd want to get the law involved and it would turn into this big thing that I really don't want to deal with."

"I get that, Kurt. But it is a big thing." Blaine said softly.

"I know it is but still. We'd end going to court which would result in his word against mine. If we were in New York, then yeah, I'd fight it because I knew I could. But this is Ohio and I'd rather not put myself and my family in that kind of turmoil." Kurt said truthfully.

Blaine nodded understandingly and sighed. "You should tell him one day though, maybe when you're older. He's your dad and he loves you. He deserves to know."

"I know. I will, someday, just...not anytime soon." Kurt said shaking his head. Just then, Burt pulled up to the school gates, smiling brightly at the sight of his son. "There's my dad. I'll see you in a few days."

"Yeah, ok." Blaine said sadly. "If you need anything, Kurt, anything at all, please don't hesitate to call." "I won't." Kurt assured him.

"I'm serious. Even it's the middle of the night and you just need someone to talk to, please call me." Blaine implored.

"I will, I promise." Kurt said softly.

\- 108 -

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Burt watched Kurt as he finished talking to Blaine, noticing their interlocked hands. The overprotective dad in him wanted to go into overdrive but he reminded himself that not only did he really like Blaine, but this was Dalton, not McKinley. The chance of Blaine bringing any kind of malice to his son was highly unlikely and the shy sweet smile his son was currently wearing brought a slight tear to his eye. Kurt gave Blaine a lingering goodbye hug before smiling sadly at him and walking away.

"Hey, Dad." Kurt said happily as he got in the car.

"Hey, Kurt." Burt replied smiling while waving at Blaine. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Kurt replied just as he clicked his seatbelt. Burt nodded and pulled away from the school, noticing that Blaine waited for them to leave and that Kurt kept his eyes locked on Blaine until he was no longer in sight.

The drive had been a comfortable silence for a little while. Kurt had turned the radio on shortly after leaving and Burt couldn't help but smile at the signs of old Kurt coming back. With Kurt being in such a good mood, Burt took the opportunity to pry a little, hoping that Kurt would be willing to share some information with him.

"So, how's school?" Burt asked nonchalantly.

"School's really good. The classes are harder but the teachers are amazing." Kurt told him smiling.

"They better be with the money I'm spending." Burt joked, regretting it instantly when Kurt's shoulders slumped. "Hey now, I didn't mean anything by that so don't you dare start feeling guilty about going there. Your safety and that smile on your face is more than worth it, alright?"

"Yeah, alright." Kurt replied with a small smile.

"I see you and Blaine are getting along well." Burt said smirking.

"Yeah, we are. He's really great." Kurt said shyly as a slight blush crept up his cheeks. "Yeah? How great?" Burt asked curiously.

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\- 109 -

"Like really, really great. He's kind and sweet and understanding and he just...he has a way of making me feel like there's no one else in the world more important than me." Kurt replied. "He's been such an amazing friend, Dad. All the guys have."

"So you and Blaine are just friends, huh?" Burt asked smirking.

"Well, maybe he's a little more than just a friend." Kurt blushed. "He took me on a date last weekend and it was...perfect."

"Perfect? That's not a term you use often." Burt pointed out.

"I know but it really was." Kurt assured him. "He took me on a picnic at that park with the flower field Mom used to take me to. We sat and talked for a while and he was just so sweet. He always is. I swear he comes straight out of a 1950s movie."

"Wait, did you tell him about that park?" Burt asked curiously.

"No. Apparently one of his nannies used to take him there when he was little kid too. Do you remember how Mom and I told you that we named the tree because someone else had too?" Kurt asked him.

"You mean bathing ants?" Burt asked chuckling. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well it wasn't bathing ants, it was Blaine Anderson. He told me that the park held a special meaning to him and he wanted to share it with me. I have to tell you, Dad, Blaine is something else." Kurt said sighing contently.

"He sounds like it." Burt said nodding. "I'm happy for you, Kurt. You're really sounding like your old self again and I guess I have Blaine and the Warblers to thank for that. It's nice seeing you smile again."

"It's nice being able to smile again. Thank you for transferring me, Dad. I couldn't be more grateful." Kurt said appreciatively.

"You're welcome son. You know I would do anything to keep you safe and happy." Burt told him. "Listen, about Blaine, I'm happy that he's been so nice to you and that you're doing so well, but don't let him pressure you into anything. Not that I think he would but I need to make sure. I'm not going to have to ask

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for you to get transferred to a different room or anything, am I? I trust you, Kurt but you're still my son and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Don't worry, Blaine is the perfect gentlemen. He would never make me do anything that I didn't want." Kurt assured him. "And no, you don't need to have me transferred. Blaine knows how to help me with my nightmares when I have them and I don't think any of the other guys would know what to do." That and cuddling with any of the other guys would be kind of weird.

"Ok, but only if you're sure."

"I'm sure, Dad."

The rest of the drive home Kurt talked about school, Blaine, the Warblers, Blaine. He really was happy at Dalton and Burt could see it. There was life behind his eyes again and it made Burt feel good about the decision he made. There was a certain twinkle in Kurt's eyes anytime he talked about Blaine and Burt could see that his son was rather smitten. He made a mental note to speak with Blaine alone next time he had the chance. He was a dad after all and despite knowing that Blaine was a good kid, he still needed to have a talk with him. For the time being however, he enjoyed listening to Kurt tell him all the stories of Dalton. He hadn't expected Kurt to be so willing to share his new life of Dalton with him and was pleasantly surprised that Kurt had been so open with him about Blaine. Sending Kurt to Dalton was definitely the best decision he'd ever made concerning his son.

That evening at the Hudmel home had been a great one. Finn was surprised to see Kurt in such happy mood but didn't question it. Instead he asked if Kurt wanted to hang out in his room, which Kurt said yes to immediately, and they played video games together until it was time for dinner. Kurt, who insisted on cleaning the dishes despite Carole's protests, surprised his family members when he sang loudly in the kitchen. Burt ended up making excuses to be in the kitchen while Kurt cleaned just so he could be around his son's happy mood. Carole had decided that it would be a great time for some family bonding so they sat in the living room and watched a movie together for the first time in months. Blaine and Kurt had texted each other numerous times throughout the evening and not once did Kurt try and hide his goofy smile from his family. All in all, it had been a really terrific night.

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\- 111 -

That all changed, however, when Kurt dreamt that night. He knew he would since Blaine wasn't with him but that didn't prevent the dream from shaking him up.

Kurt quickly made his way down the hallway, trying desperately to avoid Karofsky. He hated this part of the day. He always ran, he always hid, yet Karofsky would find him and force him into the janitor's closet he'd come so accustomed to. He turned the corner swiftly, briefly looking back to make sure that Karofsky wasn't following him, only to run straight into him. He gulped audibly as Karofsky grabbed him roughly by the arm to drag him away.

"If you even think of opening your fucking mouth." Karofsky warned as his grip got tighter. He didn't need to finish the warning though because Kurt knew that if he so much made a squeak of protest in the hallway it would only result in Karofsky being rougher with him in the closet.

As soon as the closet door was closed, Karofsky pushed Kurt against the shelves and grabbed him by the ass. "Please...don't." Kurt said brokenly.

"Shut it, Hummel!" Karofsky snapped, grabbing Kurt's hand to palm his erection.

"Please...you don't want to do this. This...this is wrong...please." Kurt begged.

"I said to shut up!" Karofsky said angrily. "If you want to fucking beg then I'll make you beg!" Karofsky's hand went for Kurt's zipper and began to roughly take Kurt's pants off. He forced Kurt's pants and boxers down before swiftly turning him around and placing his erection firmly against Kurt's ass.

"Oh my God! No! Please! Please no!" Kurt cried desperately.

"I told you I'd make you beg you fucking little whore!" Karofsky snarled as he forced Kurt's body to bend over.

Kurt woke up abruptly drenched in sweat. He quickly grabbed his phone, which he laid next to him on the pillow for when the nightmares came and quickly called Blaine. It only rang twice before Blaine picked up for him.

"Kurt? Wasamatter?" Blaine asked sleepily. "Blaine..." Kurt cried.

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"Hey, hey, it's ok. You're ok." Blaine said suddenly alert. Blaine started singing Perfect, trying desperately to calm the frantic Kurt down. Kurt took several deep breaths as Blaine continued singing, finally joining in when the second verse began. They finished the song together, Kurt getting calmer by the second. By the end of the song, Kurt felt better but was still on edge from the intensity of the dream.

"Are you ok?" Blaine asked him.

"Yeah, I just...I'm having a hard time calming down." Kurt said truthfully as he pulled at his pajama sleeve roughly.

"Would you like to sing some more?" Blaine suggested. "Could you maybe just sing to me?" Kurt asked him. "Of course." Blaine replied.

As Blaine sang Not Alone, Kurt closed his eyes and forced himself to focus on nothing but the smooth vocals he loved so much. When Blaine finished the song, he started singing Teenage Dream. He kept singing different songs until he heard Kurt's light snore on the other end. He smiled to himself as he thought about how adorable Kurt probably looked at the moment. He finally hung up the phone when he was sure that Kurt was asleep again but kept his it right next to him in case Kurt called him again.

When Kurt woke up that next morning, he pealed his phone off of his cheek, chastising himself for falling asleep on Blaine. Idiot. I can't believe I fell asleep on my phone. He checked his messages, blushing as he read the one that Blaine had sent him that night.

You fell asleep while I was singing and I can only imagine just how cute you look right now. Call me when you wake up. I hope you slept better. :) – Blaine

Kurt shook his head as he dialed Blaine's number, smiling as he thought about how Blaine had called him cute. That was one of the many wonderful things about Blaine. After their first date, he made sure to compliment Kurt whenever he had the chance.

"Hm?" Blaine said into the phone.

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\- 113 -

"I do believe a wake-up call was requested." Kurt said in a professional tone.

"Mm." Blaine replied smiling contently. "Yes and it's the best wake-up call I've ever gotten."

"You're a dork." Kurt said laughing.

"Ah yes, but I'm your dork." Blaine flirted.

My dork? He called himself my dork. "That you are dapper Mr. Anderson, that you are." Kurt replied shyly. "Thank you for last night."

"There's no need to thank me. I told you to call if you needed me and I meant that." Blaine said softly. "Besides, I was missing you terribly and it was nice hearing your voice."

Kurt couldn't control the giggle that escaped because really, how else was he supposed to react to that? "You are just...too much sometimes."

"Yes well, I try." Blaine replied with a chuckle. "So what are your plans today?"

"I'm probably just going to stay home and spend some time with Dad, Carole, and Finn before the New Directions show up and attempt to kidnap me." Kurt joked.

"If they kidnap you, you better believe that we will kidnap you right back." Blaine said seriously. "My, my, aren't we a little selfish, wanting to take me away from my friends like that." Kurt teased.

"I will always be a little selfish when it comes to you, Kurt." Blaine said softly. Did I really just say that? God I'm such a goober!

Kurt bit his lower lip at Blaine's comment as he tried to come up with something witty to say but was at a loss. Making Kurt speechless was one of the many traits Blaine possessed that Kurt loved. Beatz and David called it the dapper Mr. Anderson effect. Luckily for him, he didn't need to come up with anything because his dad knocked on the door, interrupting their conversation.

"Morning, son." Burt said when he opened the door.

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"Morning, Dad." Kurt replied smiling.

"Is that Blaine on the phone?" Burt asked knowingly.

"Yeah." Kurt replied shyly. Burt smirked as he walked into the room. He held his hand out to Kurt, waiting expectantly for Kurt to hand him the phone. "Uh, Blaine, my dad wants to talk to you." He's not going to give him the dad talk over the phone is he?

"Ok." Blaine said unsurely as Kurt handed his dad the phone.

"Hello, Blaine." Burt said politely.

"Hello, Mr. Hummel. I hope you're having a lovely Saturday morning." Blaine replied charmingly.

"I am as a matter of fact, thank you. Listen, I was wondering if you and some of the Warblers wanted to come over for lunch tomorrow. Carole won't stop going on and on about how wonderful you lot are and I'm sure she would love to see you guys. I think she has a crush on a few of you to be honest." Burt chuckled.

"Sure, Mr. Hummel. That sounds like a great idea." Blaine said happily.

"Great! You guys can take Kurt back with you and save me trip in the process." Burt nodded.

"Of course, sir. In fact, if you wanted me to take and bring Kurt on the weekends I'd have no problem with it. I always stay here on the weekends so it's really no problem." Blaine told him.

"I may take you up on that one day." Burt said offhandedly. "Thanks, Blaine. I'll let you finish talking to Kurt and we'll see ya tomorrow."

"It's no problem, Mr. Hummel." Blaine assured him. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Burt gave the phone back to Kurt and began walking out of the room but stopped when Kurt told him to wait. "Hey, I'm going to go. I'll text you later."

"Alright, Kurt. Thanks for the wake-up call." Blaine said smiling. - 115 -

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"Sure. Bye, Blaine." Kurt said rolling his eyes.

"Bye, Kurt."

Kurt hung up his phone then looked at his dad expectantly. "What?"

"Dad, you do realize that you just invited up to 19 teenage boys for lunch right?"

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"Yes, Kurt. The thought crossed my mind." Burt said laughing. "To be honest lunch was just an excuse to get them over here. They're obviously a big part of your life now and I'd like to get to know them a little better." He confessed.

"Oh." Kurt said surprised. "Thanks, Dad." "You bet."

The rest of the morning and afternoon had gone steadily as Kurt spent time with his family. Shortly after they had finished eating dinner, the New Directions started showing up. They had set up the living room so they could all squeeze in fairly comfortably to watch movies for the night. The plan had been to stay up late and spend as much time with Kurt as they could. The night had gone rather smoothly as they alternated stories and gossip but everything came to an abrupt halt when Kurt subconsciously rolled up his sleeves.

"Kurt? What the hell is this?" Mercedes asked as she grabbed his arm.

Realizing what he'd done, Kurt quickly pulled his arm back and unrolled the sleeves. "Nothing." He answered a little too quickly.

"Bullshit!" Mercedes argued and she tried to grab his arm again. "What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know, ask Kurt." Mercedes said angrily.

\- 116 -

Kurt glanced around the room as his friends all looked at him curiously, his eyes settling on Finn last who gave a sympathetic look. I'm already caught so I might as tell them. He sighed heavily as he rolled his sleeves up once more to show them his old scars.

"Kurt, please tell me that Rachel's hideous pajamas have blinded me and that I'm not seeing what I think I am." Santana said firmly. Kurt looked down from her intense gaze, sending her into Spanish ramble.

"Dude, seriously?" Puck said in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how stupid that is?"

"Stupid doesn't begin to describe it!" Santana snapped. "Why the hell would you hurt yourself like that?"

"Yeah, Kurt. I know that McKinley was hard but it wasn't that hard was it?" Artie asked sadly.

"You guys don't understand." Kurt said quietly.

"Oh, I understand alright." Santana said angrily. "I understand that instead of coming to one of us and telling that Karofsky was torturing you, you went and decided to be coward!"

"Santana it wasn't like that." Kurt assured her.

"Then what was it like, Kurt?" Rachel asked. "I don't get how you could've done something so horrible to your body."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you guys. You don't understand." Kurt told them. "Then tell us, Kurt. Help us understand." Tina said softly.

"I can't." Kurt said quietly.

"Can't or won't?" Mercedes asked sadly.

"Both." Kurt said truthfully. "None of you have ever experienced what I have. How could you possibly understand?"

"Kurt, we've been slushied and pushed into lockers and bullied too. Of course we know what you've been

through." Tina said.

\- 117 -

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"No you don't!" Kurt said exasperatedly. "Do you really think that this comes from your usual bullying? It doesn't!"

"What do you mean?" Mike asked confused.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Finn asked curiously.

"I mean that none of you have ever been abused like I have been!" Kurt snapped unintentionally.

"Wait...what do you mean abused?" Santana asked softly. When Kurt looked away instead of answering, Santana knew. "Are you serious, Kurt?"

"What? I don't get it." Finn said.

"Kurt, what are we missing here?" Mercedes asked.

Kurt glanced at Santana for a moment, as if asking her to say it for him. "He's been...sexually abused." Santana said quietly.

"What?!" Finn said in shock.

"No way!" Artie chimed in.

"Is that true?" Rachel asked sadly. Kurt didn't trust himself to talk so he slowly nodded. "Oh, Kurt!"

"Dude, why didn't you tell us?" Finn asked. "We could've done something!"

"Like what, Finn? Accuse Karofsky of being in the closet? That would've only made things worse for me." Kurt said quietly.

"I fucking knew he was gay!" Puck exclaimed. "I just knew it!"

"Kurt, I'm so sorry." Tina said quietly.

"I'm going to kick his ass! I'm going to find and beat the shit out of him!" Finn said angrily.

\- 118 -

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"Yo, I'm down." Puck said, fist bumping Finn.

"Me too." Santana jumped in.

"No, guys. Don't." Kurt told them.

"How could you say that, dude? He...touched you and stuff! That's not right." Finn said.

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"I know that but it won't make a difference. It's done, it's happened, and I'm trying to move on. I'm at Dalton now and I'm happy. I'm safe. If you do anything he'll just come for me." Kurt assured them. "Seriously, guys. I appreciate this, but please just let it go."

"I don't think I can do that." Mercedes said. "He forced you to hurt yourself which ended in you leaving. I'll never forgive him that."

"I'm not asking you to forgive him. I'm asking you to ignore it." Kurt said quietly. "Please."

The New Directions glanced unsurely at each other. They didn't want to ignore it, they wanted to teach Karofsky a lesson. Kurt gave them such a pleading look, however, that they agreed. Brittany had gotten up from where she was sitting, walked over to Kurt, and sat on his lap. She then started telling him all the reasons why she loved him and why he shouldn't hurt himself the way he had. That resulted in the rest of club taking turns to sit on his lap and doing the same, with the exception of Artie that is. When it was his turn, he had Kurt sit on his lap which ended in laughter and tons of silly pictures. The night turned into Kurt Appreciation Night and while he was still worried that his friends would say something, he really did love the support he got from them.

When Burt woke up that next morning, he found Kurt being nearly smothered by the New Directions. There had been an argument between them as to who would sleep by him and it resulted in all of them trying to be as close to him as possible. Carole had made breakfast for everyone and soon, the kids began to disperse and head home. When Puck walked out of the house, he grabbed Santana's and Quinn's arms and pulled them to the side.

"Look, I know we told Kurt we'd leave it alone but I can't do that." Puck told them. - 119 -

"We are way ahead of you, Puckerman." Santana smirked.

"By the time we're done with Karofsky, he's going to wish that he'd never been born." Quinn said proudly. "And the best part is that he'll never know it was us." Puck nodded at the girls. He knew going to them was the smart move. If anyone can be both diabolical and secretive, it would be Santana and Quinn.

Kurt was heading up the stairs when Finn pulled him aside. "Hey, can I talk to you?" Kurt sighed and nodded as he followed Finn to his room. "I wish you would've told me." He said quietly.

"I know, Finn. I'm sorry. It's just..."

"I wouldn't have understood." Finn finished for him.

"Yeah." Kurt said looking down.

"How far did he...I mean...how much did he...just..." Finn wanted to ask what the extent of what had happened was but couldn't form the words.

"Far, Finn. Really far." Kurt said quietly, understanding how hard it must've been for Finn to ask such a personal question.

"Did he...you know." Finn pushed. Kurt nodded slowly as he wiped a few tears away. "Dude!"

"I know, ok? Trust me, I know." Kurt told him. "Please, Finn, you can't say anything! Especially to my dad." "But Kurt!" Finn argued.

"Think of his heart. He can't handle this. Please! Promise me that you won't tell him! I'm working really hard to move on from this but I can't if you don't leave it alone. What's done is done. I'm safe now at Dalton and the Warblers have been a huge help, but if people start talking about it and trying to fix it then it's just going to send me spiraling down. Please, Finn!" Kurt begged.

"Alright, I won't tell Burt but I think you should." Finn told him. - 120 -

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"I will. One day when I'm older and I can handle it all, then I will." Kurt assured him.

Finn looked at Kurt sadly for a few moments. The thought that Karofsky forced himself on Kurt made his blood boil. "Do the Warblers know?"

"Some of them, yes." Kurt admitted.

"Why did you tell them and not us?" Finn asked sadly.

"Because they get it. I'm not the only one with issues there, Finn. Dalton is like...a healing bubble boy's go to when life hands them a shitty hand. That's why the Warblers are so close. They all know that there's a reason why we're at Dalton but no one asks a lot of questions. They support each other the same way addicts who a trying to get clean do. It's cult like even." Kurt said with a small chuckle. "I'm sorry for not telling you."

"Don't apologize, dude. I get it. I hate it, but I get it." Finn said softly. "Just...if anything else ever happens to you again, tell me. Even if I won't understand, tell me. We're brothers now, man. I'm sorry for not noticing everything earlier. It's my job to watch out for you and I failed you as a brother."

"You didn't, Finn. You are a great brother, honestly." Kurt told him.

"Yeah but, maybe if I had figured it out earlier I could've prevented it." Finn shrugged.

"Don't think like that, Finn. Thoughts like that are what initially led to me cutting. 'What if I hadn't dressed so loudly? What if I hadn't brought so much attention to myself? What if I wasn't gay?' All those questions are pointless. It would've ended up happening anyway because that's just who Karofsky is. He can't change the kind of monster he is any more than I can change being who I am." Kurt said truthfully.

"I guess. Just...tell me next time. I can't be your brother and help you if you don't let me." Finn said softly. "I will." Kurt assured him. "Thank you for understanding and for being my brother."

"Always, Kurt. I love you." Finn said like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"I love you too, Finn." Kurt replied smiling.

\- 121 -

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Finn gave Kurt a big comforting hug before letting him leave the room. He then took out his cell phone and sent Puck a text.

Dude, we have to do something. – Finn

Already ahead of you, man. Meet me, Santana, and Quinn at my place tonight. We have a plan. – Puck

It was early afternoon when Blaine, David, Wes, Beatz, Nick, Jeff, Sebastian, and Thad showed up at the Hudmel home. Blaine meant to only bring Beatz and Nick along with him but couldn't get out of the school without being noticed by the others. Once they were there, Burt ordered pizza's for all of them and sat back to watch Kurt and Finn interact with them. Shortly after the pizza arrived, Burt pulled Blaine aside to have a talk with him.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Hummel?" Blaine asked with concern.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. I just wanted to ask you how Kurt was doing."

"He's doing great. Some days are harder than other but he's not cutting anymore so that's really good." Blaine told him.

"Good, good. He seems really happy and I owe it all to you and the Warblers." Burt said appreciatively.

"He is really happy. The Warblers love Kurt and I promise you that we're doing everything we can to keep him happy." Blaine assured him.

"I believe you." Burt nodded. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about." "Yes, sir?"

"Kurt told me about your date and how you took him to that park. It meant a lot to him that you did that and I hope you know how special it really was to him."

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\- 122 -

"I do, sir. It meant a lot to me too." Blaine admitted. "That place holds some very dear memories to me and I'm glad that it was something we could share with each other."

Burt eyed Blaine curiously for a moment. Kurt was right, Blaine really was something else. "I'm glad that you two could share that too. I like you, Blaine, I have from the beginning. You seem like a really good kid and I really do appreciate all that you've done for my son. However, if you hurt my son-"

"I would never!" Blaine cut in quickly. "You better not." Burt warned.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Blaine spoke up again. "Is there anything else you needed to talk to me about, Mr. Hummel?"

"Yeah, just one more thing, call me Burt." Burt replied smiling.

"Yes, Mr. Hu...I mean Burt." Blaine said smiling brightly.

"You know, I really do like you kid." Burt nodded. "Now, what do you know about football?"

Kurt and the other Warblers were ready to head back to school but couldn't leave because no one knew where Blaine went. Kurt went to go look for him just as he and his dad walked out from the garage.

"Dad?" Kurt said in confusion as he looked back and forth between him and Blaine. "Don't worry, son. I left him in one piece." Burt joked.

"Uh huh." Kurt said unsurely. "Blaine, we're ready to go."

"Alright then, let's head out." Blaine told him. "Thanks you for having us over, Burt." Burt? Did he just call my dad Burt? What the hell did I miss?

"No problem, Blaine. You are always welcomed here." Burt said patting him on the shoulder. - 123 -

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"Thank you, sir." Blaine told him. "Alright, Warblers, let's move out."

The Warblers made their out the door with the exception of Kurt who stayed behind to say bye to his dad. "I'll see you next weekend, Dad."

"You know, you don't have to come home every weekend." Burt told him. "I heard you having a nightmare the night before last. I would've come in but just as I got to the door I heard you talking with Blaine. I know he and the other guys are really helping you so if you need to stay, just let me know, ok?"

"Ok, Dad." Kurt said with a small smile. "I love you."

"I love you too, son. Be careful and call me when you guys get back." Burt told him.

"I will." Kurt assured him. They hugged one another tightly before Kurt finally walked out of the house to head back to Dalton with his friends.

\- 124 -

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Let's Make It Official

Kurt walked out of his house to head back to Dalton and was surprised to see that the boys drove one of Dalton's buses to pick him up. By the time he had gotten outside, the Warblers had already piled in, leaving a single seat open for Kurt. The seat right next to Blaine. Kurt got in to the bus, blushing slightly as Blaine put his arm around him, and scowled at Beatz who was smirking knowingly at him. Once they were out of Lima and on their way back to Dalton, Kurt relaxed into Blaine's arm, placing his head on Blaine's shoulder contently.

"So, how was your weekend?" Blaine asked him all the while drawing circles on his shoulder.

"It was actually pretty good considering." Kurt told him. "I uh, I told the New Directions what happened." "Really?" Blaine said in surprise. "Did you tell them everything?"

"No. They know about the cutting and they know I was abused, but that's it." Kurt told him. Sebastian, who was sitting right behind them next to Thad, immediately started paying attention when he heard Kurt say that he had been abused.

"Are you glad you told them?" Blaine asked curiously.

"Yes and no." Kurt said truthfully. "After I told them they spent the rest of the night telling me why they loved me which was actually really funny. They took turns sitting on my lap. Except for Artie since he's in a wheelchair, I sat on his." He said laughing. "I'm worried that they're going to try and get revenge though, especially Finn."

"Is that something they would do?" Beatz, who was sitting on the other side of Blaine, asked curiously. "Yes, it is. They promised me they wouldn't but I don't believe them." Kurt shrugged.

"Well hopefully they aren't stupid enough to go behind your back." Beatz said firmly.

"Trust me, they are." Kurt sighed. "What did you guys do this weekend?"

\- 125 -

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"You mean before we got Blaine to stop sulking in his room or after?" Nick teased.

"I was not sulking in my room." Blaine argued.

"Oh please, you were so sad that Kurt was gone because you missed him so much." David said dramatically.

"Woe is me, Kurt is not here." Beatz sighed.

"Woe is me, I wish he were near." Thad said with puppy eyes.

"Woe is me, I count the hours down." Nick continued.

"Woe is me, until he is once again around." Sebastian said dreamily.

"Woe is me, my love is gone. Woe is me, my heartache so strong." The Warblers said together.

"Woe is me, parting is such sweet sorrow." Beatz said sadly.

"Woe is me, my heart aches till tomorrow." Wes sighed dramatically, finishing the poem.

"I hate you guys." Blaine said, blushing furiously.

"Awe, Blaine. You wound me." Nick said feigning hurt.

"After all the hard work we did to put your feelings into a poem and this is how you thank us? I'm so hurt." David said pretending to cry.

"Great, now we have to write a poem for the heartache you've caused. You should be ashamed of yourself." Jeff scolded.

"Oh, I'll start it!" Nick jumped in. "The heartache I feel is nothing compared to the betrayal of lost love."

"Lost love is terrible fate that makes the angels cry up above." David said sullenly.

"Ok, guys, that's enough." Blaine said irritably. The Warblers started laughing, unable to control themselves. Calling Blaine out was their way to get him and Kurt to talk about their relationship status and

\- 126 -

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they were glad to do it. Blaine looked over to Kurt who was watching him with an amused expression. "What?" He chuckled nervously.

"Nothing." Kurt shrugged smirking. "I've just...never been so missed before."

"Yeah, well...get used to it because I'll be missing you every time you go home." Blaine said playfully.

"Well...good." Kurt replied shyly. Blaine chuckled softly as he leaned forward to kiss Kurt on the forehead. The Warblers who witnessed the kiss all rolled their eyes at how adorable Blaine and Kurt were together. They really were too cute for their own good.

When they arrived back at Dalton, Kurt went straight to his room and laid down in his bed. Being back at Dalton allowed him to be himself again and he missed being able to truly relax. He loved his family and he loved his friends, but he learned to hide from them when things became hard at school. At Dalton, no one judged him and no one bullied him. He was free to be himself and he loved it. When Blaine walked in the room a few minutes after him, he found Kurt lying on his bed with his eyes closed and a content smile on his face.

"You ok?" Blaine asked smirking.

"Mhm." Kurt nodded. "I just missed my bed."

"I see." Blaine said as he crawled in bed next to Kurt. "Is that all you missed?"

Kurt opened his eyes and turned his body so that he and Blaine were facing each other. "No. I missed the hallways too."

"The hallways?"

"Mhm. I missed the color of the walls and the softness of the carpeting and all the lovely decorations." Kurt said nodding.

"Uh, huh." Blaine smirked. "Did you miss any of the people or are we strictly talking inanimate objects

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here?"

\- 127 -

"Oh, well of course I missed the people! I missed Beatz and Trent and Bastion and Wes and Thad and Nick and David. I didn't miss Jeff though. I'm still mad at him for making me late to class on Friday." Kurt said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, Jeff's really good at doing that." Blaine said laughing lightly.

"Oh! I almost forgot the person I missed the most!" Kurt said dramatically.

"And who might be?" Blaine questioned.

"Oh, no one too special. Just a curly haired cutie who's always there for me when I need him." Kurt said sweetly.

"Wow. He sounds lovely." Blaine replied softly.

"He is." Kurt replied as he leaned in to kiss Blaine. Kissing Blaine was Kurt's absolute favorite past time. Blaine was always sweet, tender, and loving with his kisses. He never pushed Kurt for more nor did he ever make Kurt feel uncomfortable. They would simply lose themselves in each other, never worrying about being judged.

"I'm glad you had a good weekend at home." Blaine said quietly as they parted.

"Me too. It was nice but I really did miss it here." Kurt said truthfully. "Finn knows about...how far everything went."

"What did he say?" Blaine asked curiously.

"He freaked out big time. It was nice talking about it with him though. I didn't go in to detail or anything, but just the fact that he knows is nice." Kurt said nodding.

"Do you think he'll tell your dad or the New Directions?" Blaine asked as his fingers lightly caressed Kurt's.

"Honestly, no. He's usually really terrible at keeping secrets but I really don't think he'll let this one slip." Kurt told him. "What did you and my dad talk about?"

\- 128 -

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"He was asking me how you were doing. That and giving me the 'Don't hurt my son' talk." Blaine said with a small laugh.

"Oh God!" Kurt groaned in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was sweet and I really like your dad. He's a good man." Blaine said sincerely.

"Yeah, he really is." Kurt agreed.

"Since we're on the topic of us, what is going on here?" Blaine asked shyly.

"I don't really know." Kurt shrugged. "I mean we've only been on one date, but we kiss...a lot." He said laughing nervously.

"That is very true." Blaine nodded. "The way I see it, we have two options. Option one is that we stopped kissing and go on more dates in order to get to know each other better."

"Hmm, no. I don't like that. What's the other option?" Kurt asked.

"Well, the only other logical option is that we become boyfriends." Blaine said shrugging.

"Boyfriends? Oh I don't know. That's a big step Blaine. Are you sure we're ready for that?" Kurt asked teasingly.

"I don't know. This is such tough decision." Blaine said pouting, granting him a giggle from Kurt. "Blaine?"

"Yes, Kurt?"

"Would you do me the honor of being my boyfriend?" Kurt asked shyly.

"Oh, Kurt!" Blaine gasped dramatically. "This is so sudden! I don't know what to say!"

"You're such a dork." Kurt said laughing.

\- 129 -

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"Yes, I know." Blaine replied smiling. "And yes, I would love nothing more than to be your boyfriend." "Good." Kurt replied as he leaned in to kiss him again.

Knock, Knock. "Hey are you two staying in or-WHOA!" David said when he walked in them kissing. "So this is what it's like to be gay with a gay roommate, huh? Must be nice." He teased.

"Excuse me, David, but I was trying to kiss my boyfriend and you have rudely interrupted." Kurt said firmly.

"Boyfriend? Oh shit!" David said excitedly before poking his head out the door. "Yo, Klaine is officially on!" Kurt and Blaine heard the hollers and cheering from their friends, making them both laugh. "I'll leave you lovebirds be." David said smirking then walked out.

"Klaine?" Kurt asked curiously.

"That's our couple name." Blaine informed him.

"Ah, yes, of course." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to hang out with the guys before dinner?"

"Sure. I'm going to make a quick phone call then I'll meet you out there."

"Ok." Blaine replied, kissing him softly before getting up and walking out of the room. As soon as Blaine closed the door behind him, he did a goofy happy dance, not realizing that several Warblers were in the hallway. He asked me to be his boyfriend! We're boyfriends now! AH! The clearing of someone's throat caught his attention, making him look up to find his friends staring at him.

"Someone's happy." Beatz commented smirking.

"Yes, well, how can I not be when I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world?" Blaine replied smiling.

While Blaine was dancing outside in the hall, Kurt was doing his own happy dance in the room. Oh my God! Oh my God! OH MY GOD! Blaine's my boyfriend! Blaine Anderson is my boyfriend! AH! Kurt pulled his cell phone out and quickly dialed Mercedes' number. - 130 -

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"Hey, boo. Miss me already?" Mercedes said when she answered the phone. "Oh my God, Mercedes!" Kurt replied excitedly.

"What? What's going on?" Mercedes asked confused.

"I, Kurt Hummel, have a boyfriend!" Kurt exclaimed.

"What?! Who?"

"Blaine, the Warblers lead vocalist!"

"Kurt! That's awesome! When did this happen?"

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"Just now! Oh God, 'Cedes, I can't believe it! I'm officially someone's boyfriend and it's to the most amazing guy in the entire universe." Kurt said happily.

"I'm really happy for you, Kurt. You deserve it." Mercedes said sincerely. "Does he know...about...you know?"

"Yes, he knows." Kurt told her. "He has for a while to be honest and he's never treated me any different because of it. He's so incredible 'Cedes. Like, really incredible!"

"Well, I'm going to have to meet him again, just to approve that he's worthy of you." Mercedes said sternly.

"Trust me, he is." Kurt assured her. "I have to go but I wanted you to be the first to know. Seeing you guys this weekend really put things into perspective for me. You guys are my family too and I want us to stay in touch, no matter what happens."

"We most definitely will, boo. I'll talk to you later. Be good!"

"I will 'Cedes. Bye." Kurt said laughing before hanging up. He walked out of the room to find the Warblers teasing Blaine. When Blaine saw him, he smiled brightly as he approached him. Without hesitation, he placed his hands just under Kurt's ears and kissed him. The Warblers hooted and cat-called while the boys kissed tenderly but they didn't care. They both had wanted to kiss each other in public the entire week before and now that they were official, they were going to let the world know.

\- 131 -

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The New Directions were all meeting at Puck's house that evening to discuss 'Project: Out Karofsky' together. They all felt bad for going behind Kurt's back but there was no way that they were going to sit down and do nothing about what happened. Kurt was more than their friend, he was family and no matter how dysfunctional their family was, they still loved each other. Mercedes was the last one to show up since Kurt had called her just as she was leaving. When she got there, she immediately told them about Kurt's phone call.

"Should he be doing that? After everything with Karofsky, should he have a boyfriend?" Artie had asked in concern.

"Wait, you said he's with Blaine?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, the Warblers lead soloist." Mercedes told him.

"Oh, that's that guy we met when he came to wish us good luck, I remember. He's cute!" Tina said smiling.

"Cute or not, Artie's right. Should he really be in a relationship?" Santana asked, clearly concerned.

"Naw, Blaine's cool. Burt told me that he took Kurt out on a date last weekend and that it was really special or something. Burt loves Blaine. If he approves, I approve." Finn said firmly.

"Finn's right. Kurt sounded really happy, happier than I've ever heard him. If Mr. H. is ok with it, I am too." Mercedes agreed.

"Alright, fine but I want to re-meet this Blaine and make sure he's doing right by Kurt." Puck said firmly. "Now enough gossip. We need to get this plan started."

"That's right. We gotta get some ground rules first. 1: Kurt cannot find out. 2: Whatever we do cannot come back on any of us. 3: We never talk about the plan except in this room right here. 4: No one does anything without it being approved by everyone. 5: Most importantly, it's gotta look like Karofsky's at fault for how everything happens. It don't matter that he knows he didn't do it; everyone else has to think it's him. Everyone clear?" Santana asked. The New Direction nodded eagerly, ready to get the plan started.

"Alright, first order of business is to get someone close to him." Quinn told them. "That's where I come in." - 132 -

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That Monday at school, Quinn put extra effort into her appearance. Not that it actually mattered since Karofsky was gay, but he had to think that Quinn was trying to impress him. She waited until right before football practice to approach him. He was standing at his locker putting his books away when she walked up to him. She leaned against the locker next to his, smiling sweetly, as she waited for him to say something to her.

"What do you want, Fabray?" Karofsky asked her irritably.

"You know Dave, I was thinking." Quinn said softly as she reached over to caress his arm. "You and I should go on a date sometime."

"And why the hell would I do that?" Karofsky scoffed. "I'm hot, you're hot. Why not?" Quinn shrugged.

"Maybe because we hate each other." Karofsky said flatly. "I don't hate you." Quinn told him.

"Yes you do. I slushied you all through your demon spawn and I made that faggot Hummel transfer leaving your gay little club a person short. Don't give me any bullshit lie. What do you really want?" Karofsky asked angrily.

"Alright, fine. You're right. I do hate you but the way I see it, you need me just as much as I need you." Quinn said pointedly.

"How the hell do you figure that?" Karofsky asked.

"You see, for whatever reason, you're the most popular guy in this hell hole and after last year, I need to climb back the social ladder. Dating you gets me that." Quinn told him.

"And what do I get out of it?"

\- 133 -

"Well, you haven't had a girlfriend in...well ever and people are starting to talk. Dating me will prevent that from happening."

"You know what, I'll pass." Karofsky said as he slammed his locker door and headed to the locker room. When he got there, he heard Puck talking about him.

"Think about it. He's never had a girlfriend and I swear he checks guys out when we're changing." Puck said in attempted whisper.

"I don't know dude. Karofsky gay? That's a pretty big leap." Mike replied.

"Yeah, man. Plus he tortured Kurt, there's no way he's gay." Finn told him.

"Don't you see? That's why he tortured Kurt. He's scared." Puck told them. "I'm telling you, Dave Karofsky is G-A-Y gay." Karofsky walked over to where Puck, Finn, and, Mike were standing, glared at them for a moment then walked over to his locker.

After football practice, Karofsky walked past the bleachers where the Cheerios practiced and ended up overhearing an argument between Santana and Quinn.

"I can't believe you, Quinn!" Santana said angrily.

"What do you want me to say, Santana? At least I was honest with you!" Quinn said defensively.

"I know you want to be popular again but Dave Karofsky? Are you fucking kidding me? He forced Kurt out the school for Christ sake! How could you go behind his back and date Karofsky like that?" Santana argued.

"Look, I hate that Kurt couldn't handle a few slushies and that he left, but I have to do this. I can't stand being at the bottom of the totem pole anymore and if dating Dave Karofsky is what I have to do become popular again, I'll do it." Quinn said firmly.

"This is low, Fabray, even for you." Santana said disgustedly before walking away angrily.

Karofsky had no idea what had gotten into the New Directions but there was no way that he was going to fall for whatever they were scheming. When he got to school that next morning however, things changed. He noticed several students staring at him oddly and heard his name whispered amongst them. His only

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thought was that other football players had heard Puck talking in the locker room and now the school was spreading lies. He didn't care what the school said. He wasn't gay and there was no way that anyone was going to actually believe the rumor. When he reached his locker, the word 'faggot' had been written on it in marker. He stared at the word angrily for a moment before glancing around the halls. He saw Quinn standing at her locker down the hall and quickly made his way to her.

"Fine." Karofsky told her.

"Fine?" Quinn asked.

"Yes, fine. I'll be your boyfriend." Karofsky said quickly.

"Great! You won't regret it!" Quinn said happily.

"I'm sure I will." Karofsky said rolling his eyes.

"Don't be like, baby. You and I, we're going to rule this school." Quinn said winking.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll see you at lunch." Karofsky said to her before quickly walking to back to his locker clean the word off.

Quinn took her cell phone out and sent a text to all the New Directions.

Phase One Complete – Quinn That's my girl! – Santana Commencing Phase Two – Artie

It was Wednesday evening when Sebastian approached Kurt. Sebastian had wanted to talk to Kurt alone since he found out that he had been abused but never had the chance since he and Blaine were always together. Wednesday evening however, Kurt was alone in Dalton's library doing research for a paper so Sebastian took the chance while he had it.

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\- 135 -

"Hey, Kurt." He said as he sat down on the table.

"Hey, Bastian. What's up?" Kurt replied as he set his book down.

"I uh, I wanted to talk to you." Sebastian said quietly.

"Ok. Are you alright?" Kurt asked concerned.

"Yeah, I just...I heard you say that you were abused and I wanted to talk to you about it." Sebastian told him.

"Oh...ok." Kurt said unsurely. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I just...I guess I wanted to know if you were...raped." Sebastian asked him cautiously. Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his seat but said nothing so Sebastian continued. "When I was 13, my step-mom raped me. She did it a few times in fact. It uh...it really messed me up and I've never met anyone else who's gone through it so..."

"Yeah...I was raped." Kurt told him a little shakily.

"How did you deal with it?" Sebastian asked curiously. Kurt sighed as he rolled his sleeves up to show Sebastian. Sebastian gingerly grabbed Kurt's hands, gently caressing the scars. "I can't believe you did this. You're way too strong for this."

"Yes well." Kurt shrugged. "How did you?"

"Very, very differently." Sebastian said laughing bitterly. "I basically became a man whore." "A man whore?" Kurt asked surprised.

"Yeah. I started having sex with hell, anybody just to erase the memory of her touching me. I was...God I was such a douche. I would go after other guy's boyfriend's and get them to cheat, I would go to bars and hook up with random guys, and I even tried getting into Blaine's pants." Sebastian laughed, granting him a glare from Kurt. "Don't worry, it never happened and I have no intention of trying to steal him away."

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"I'm watching you, Smythe." Kurt said seriously. Sebastian raised his hands in the air in defeat, suppressing the laugh that threatened to come out.

"So anyway, I was not someone you would've liked, that's for sure." Sebastian told him.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Kurt asked curiously.

"I'm telling you so you could understand me better before I ask you for help." Sebastian told him. "You see, at the beginning of last year, things were really tough. I spent the summer at home and it didn't matter that I could easily out strengthen her, she had complete power over me. It was...God it was terrible. I went after the school's top couple when the semester started up again. They were seniors and had been together since freshman year. By the Christmas break, I was fucking one of them like it was nothing. Thad, who was my roommate, was the one that caught us and it was bad. One night after Warbler rehearsal, the other guy jumped me and beat the shit out. He ended up getting expelled that next day. He was going to go to Harvard and I ruined that for that him." Sebastian said guiltily.

"What happened after that?" Kurt asked.

"The Warblers had an intervention. They tore me apart and I deserved every bad thing they said to me. The only one who hadn't made me feel like shit was Thad." Sebastian said with a small smile.

"Is that when you fell in love with him?" Kurt asked smirking. Sebastian blushed lightly and nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"Alright, Warblers. I think we've heard enough." Thad told the group. "How can you say that after what he did?!" Beatz yelled out.

"Because everyone makes mistakes. I'm not saying that I'm ok with what Sebastian did but I'm not going to tear into him. Listen guys, what we need to do is help him, not make it worse. You all know that sometime shit happens that changes us, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. He's a Warbler, our brother, and we should be there for him because no one else will be." Thad said firmly.

"What do you suggest we do?" David asked from the back. - 137 -

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"I suggest that we talk to him. We watch him and we help him make better decisions. Without us, he has nobody. Without us, Sebastian, you'll be alone." Thad said quietly.

"I...I don't want to be like this." Sebastian said brokenly.

"I know you don't but you have to try not to be." Thad said softly. "I...I will. I promise." Sebastian told them.

"If you don't, we will kick you out the Warblers and you will lose us, all of us." Thad said pointedly. Sebastian nodded quickly in understanding. "Alright. As of now, Sebastian Smythe is no more. Bastian however, my roommate and my best friend, is more than welcome."

"That's how you got that nickname." Kurt nodded.

"Yeah. Thad was the only one to ever call me that but after they night, that's who I needed to be. I remember thinking how lucky I was to even have Thad stand up for me. He should've been the one angriest at me. Yet there he was, putting himself on the line for me. I couldn't believe it. I promised myself to change after that."

"Ok, well. What do you need help with?" Kurt asked him.

"I've seen you and Blaine and how you are together and I just...I want that. I want to be able to walk hand in hand with Thad and I want to be able to kiss him and just...be with him." Sebastian said exasperatedly. "But I don't know how. I don't know what to say or do. I see him and then I just...I get stuck."

"I don't know what I can do to help, but I'll try." Kurt told him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Kurt smiled.

"Thanks, Kurt." Sebastian said sincerely.

"Sure. What are friends for?"

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Sebastian and Kurt sat there talking for a while longer, sharing their experiences with one another and forming a new bond. Sebastian even convinced Kurt to talk with Dalton's doctor about what happened to him, encouraging him to get tested. The best thing about Dalton was the privacy. He assured Kurt that the doctor would not tell his father and Kurt reluctantly agreed, knowing that he really should get checked out. Unbeknownst to them, Beatz had seen them talking and it immediately worried him. While Sebastian hadn't done anything wrong since the intervention, Beatz couldn't help but think back to what had happened the year before. He watched them laugh together as they talked and he did not like it. He made a note to watch Sebastian more closely from that point on. He was not about to let Kurt or Blaine get hurt and he was determined to keep anything bad from happening.

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jumping To Conclusions

The next two months passed quickly and before anyone could realize it, it was the week before winter break. During those two months, Kurt and Blaine became closer, Kurt and Sebastian formed a unique bond, and the New Directions plotted against Karofsky. Kurt and Blaine became inseparable. They spent most of their free time together and were rarely seen not wrapped up in each other's arms. Their relationship came so easily to them despite the emotional scars they had. They trusted each other completely and it was a nice change for both boys.

Kurt's and Sebastian's friendship was something that not only worried Beatz, but it was something he didn't quite understand. He watched them closely throughout the following months, waiting for any signs of the old Sebastian to surface. There were moments where he would catch them talking in whispers in a corner, there were moments where he'd see them laughing together, and then there were moments when he'd catch them arguing. He hadn't figured out what they argued about but they did that the most. Whatever it was they argued about, Kurt was adamant about it while Sebastian always said no. Despite his worries and the odd friendship they had, Beatz really had no reason to believe that Sebastian was up to no good. That all changed the Wednesday afternoon before break.

Kurt and Sebastian were sitting at their usual spot in the library talking in hushed voices before Warbler rehearsal. It had become their spot after they opened up to each other and while they usually talked about Sebastian's feelings for Thad, that afternoon it was Kurt who needed the help.

"So what's up?" Sebastian asked him curiously. "You've been acting weird lately."

"If I tell you something, I can trust you not to say anything, right?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Duh." Sebastian said like it was the most obvious answer. "What's going on?"

"Well, I've been having this dream for about a few weeks now and you're the only one I feel would be able to help me." Kurt told him.

"Ok." Sebastian said slowly. "What's the dream?"

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Kurt instantly began to blush as he thought back to what his imagination had been taunting him with. "Ok so, it starts with Blaine and I hanging out in our room. We're just talking at first but then we start kissing."

"Uh, huh." Sebastian nodded.

"Well, after we kiss for a little while, we...we start you know...doing stuff." Kurt said quietly, his face as red as the piping on his blazer.

"So you're having wet dreams about your boyfriend?" Sebastian teased.

"Shh!" Kurt said quickly. "Don't say it like that!"

"But that's how it is, right?" Sebastian asked smirking.

"Well...yeah but that's not all." Kurt said suddenly very serious. "After we start being more...intimate, it changes."

"How so?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"Well at first, Blaine's being really sweet and gentle but then he starts getting more aggressive, too aggressive. He's sucking on my neck and it starts to hurt so I try and push him off but he just ignores me. I get really pissed off at him and grab him by the hair to make him stop but when he looks up, it's not him, it's...it's Karofsky. Then it turns into another nightmare and there I am completely helpless. It's terrible."

"Wow! That...that really sucks, Kurt." Sebastian told him.

"I know! The thing is, it's so sweet in the beginning that I can't help but wonder what it would really be like to experience anything like...that with Blaine but...I'm scared. I mean I know that Blaine would never push me but how can I...do anything if Karofsky's still tormenting me?" Kurt asked sullenly.

"Well, I have a suggestion, but I don't know if you'll like it." Sebastian said with a mischievous grin. "What is it?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Masturbate." Sebastian said simply.

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"Bastian! I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because...because I can't. I've never...I just can't!" Kurt told him.

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"Look, I get it. I get that the only experience you've ever had was with someone who forced you and I get that it's hard to erase that image but you're never going to truly get over it until you have other experiences to take the bad memories away." Sebastian told him.

"I don't know, Bastian. I don't think I can do that. I don't think I can...touch myself and not think of Karofsky." Kurt said dejectedly.

Sebastian reached over the table, grabbed both of Kurt's hand into his own, and looked at Kurt intently. "Fight it, Kurt. Unless you fight it, Karofsky will always be there to poison your thoughts. Unless you fight it, you will never get any further than kissing with Blaine and while yeah, that's been ok so far, one day it won't be."

"But how?" Kurt asked quietly.

"The best thing I can think of is do it the shower. Use Blaine's soap or shampoo or whatever he uses. Engulf your senses in it, force yourself to think of Blaine and only Blaine. I'm not saying that it'll be easy, but it's worth a try." Sebastian shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Bastian." Kurt said with a small smile.

"That's why I'm here."

Beatz was walking past the library when he noticed that once again, Kurt and Sebastian were talking quietly in the corner. He watched them for a few minutes, seeing Kurt blush furiously while Sebastian grinned mischievously at him. He also witnessed the hand hold across the table and instantly jumped to conclusions, already blaming Sebastian for returning to his old ways. He knew that Sebastian was up to no good. He knew that Sebastian wasn't to be trusted. He couldn't believe that Kurt had actually fallen for his game and it angered him that after everything he and Blaine had been through together, he'd go and do something as terrible as cheat. Without so much as a second thought, Beatz stormed into the library and straight over to Kurt.

\- 142 -

"Hey, Beatz. What's-"

"What the hell is going on here?" Beatz said angrily, interrupting Kurt's greeting.

"Nothing." Kurt said unsurely, taken aback by Beatz' sudden anger.

"It sure doesn't look like nothing." Beatz said in aggravation, glancing down at their hands.

Kurt quickly let go of Sebastian's hand, already annoyed at what Beatz was insinuating. "You don't actually think-"

"I'm sure that's exactly what he thinks." Sebastian interrupted as he stood up from the table. "I'll see you guys at rehearsal." Sebastian knew the second he and Kurt became friends that all eyes would be on him. He was surprised that it had taken Beatz so long to confront Kurt in the first place. Now that he had, he wasn't going to stick around to hear Beatz chew him out for something that he hadn't done.

"What the hell, Kurt?"

"What the hell what, Beatz? I haven't done anything." Kurt said irritably.

"Then why the hell are you holding hands with him? Why the hell have you been all secretive with him this past month?" Beatz asked angrily.

"You've never held a friends hand in order to comfort them?" Kurt argued. "And what we're being secretive about is none of your damn business!"

"Are you kidding with this shit? I catch you cheating and you're getting mad at me?"

"Cheating! You did not catch me cheating because I wasn't cheating! How could you possibly think that I

would do that to Blaine?" Kurt asked in shock.

"What the hell else am I supposed to think, Kurt?" Beatz argued back.

"I don't know but you're delirious if you think that I would do that!" Kurt said, hurt at the accusation. "It sure seems that way!"

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"Oh my God! I am not cheating!" Kurt argued as he walked out of the library and towards the rehearsal hall.

"This is how it starts, Kurt. This what he does! He befriends you then convinces you that you deserve better. I've seen him do it! You may not have cheated yet but if you keep being friends with him you will." Beatz warned him.

Kurt stopped abruptly, turned to look at Beatz, and crossed his arms in aggravation. "Bastian is not trying to seduce me, he is not trying to steal me away, and I am not going to cheat on Blaine with him. You can't keep punishing him for what happened last year. He hasn't done anything wrong and it isn't fair of you to jump to conclusions like that."

"Well it's kind of hard not to when you know what someone's capable of. You may know the story but you don't know him, Kurt. You didn't witness what actually happened." Beatz said firmly.

"I do know him and he's not that guy anymore!" Kurt argued. "It hurts that you don't trust me not to cheat. I thought you knew me but obviously you don't. If you did then you wouldn't be accusing me of being naïve enough to fall for his games, not that he's playing any games to begin with!"

"You don't understand-"

"Oh I understand. You're letting his past indiscretions and your imagination fabricate something that doesn't exist. You're delusional if you think that I would ever do something like that and it's fucked up that you won't believe me." Kurt stormed off in aggravation and headed to rehearsal.

Kurt refused to acknowledge Beatz during rehearsal and all during school that next day. He was furious that Beatz didn't have enough trust in him to believe him. Yes he knew that things probably looked suspicious but that didn't mean that it was true. Kurt wouldn't break the trust Sebastian had in him and tell Beatz why they were so secretive. It wasn't his place to share Sebastian's feelings for Thad and there was no way that he was going to tell Beatz about the recent dreams. He may have been comfortable enough with Beatz to share other details of his life but the dreams were something that only Sebastian understood.

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Beatz couldn't let it go however. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kurt. It was that he didn't trust Sebastian. He still remembered what happened the year before. He remembered the problems they caused for everyone and he remembered how badly it all ended. He couldn't let that happen again. He couldn't sit back and let Blaine and Kurt get hurt by Sebastian's games. That's why come Thursday afternoon, he took it upon himself to warn Blaine.

"Blaine, we need to talk." Beatz said seriously.

"Is everything alright?" Blaine asked in concern.

"No, it's not." Beatz said shaking his head. "Has Kurt talked to you about Bastian?"

"No. Why would he?" Blaine asked confused.

"I think...I think Sebastian's back and I'm pretty sure he has his eyes set on Kurt." Beatz told him. "What? Don't be ridiculous." Blaine said chuckling.

"I'm being serious, Blaine. Haven't you noticed how close they've become? How secretive they are?"

"Well, yeah but that doesn't mean anything. Bastian's the only one that really understands where Kurt's coming from, he's the only who's experienced rape. I'm not surprised that they've become so close. That doesn't mean that he's trying to steal Kurt away from me."

"Blaine, I saw them holding hands in the library yesterday." Beatz told him. "What?"

"Yeah. I watched Bastian reach over to hold his hands and Kurt didn't stop him. I'm not saying that Kurt is cheating, but you might want to ask him what's going on." Beatz said firmly.

"Look, I appreciate you telling me this but I'm sure it's just your imagination." At least I hope it is. "I know what I saw, Blaine. Just talk to Kurt, ok?"

"Sure, Beatz."

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Blaine did not want to think that Kurt was cheating on him. He did not want to think that Sebastian was trying to steal him away. After his talk with Beatz, however, it was all he could think about. It would make sense if Kurt liked Bastian. He's a good looking guy and he's pretty nice. Not to mention that he knows how it feels to be raped. I may know how it feels to feel lost and hopeless, but I'll never have that connection with Kurt. What if Kurt doesn't need me anymore? What if he's moved on to Bastian because he understands him better? Blaine's thoughts were consumed by doubt and after a little while, he was convinced that Kurt probably did have feelings for Bastian.

It wasn't until Friday evening that Blaine confronted Kurt about it. While Kurt hadn't acted any differently towards him, he didn't miss the smirks that he and Sebastian gave each other during the day. He didn't want to ask if something was going on, especially since Kurt would be leaving that next morning for holiday break while he stayed at Dalton. He didn't want to end up in a fight with Kurt and he didn't want Kurt to think he didn't trust him. He loved Kurt. He hadn't told him yet but he loved him and just the thought of losing him made his heart shatter. Between that and Beatz' warning running through his head, he couldn't help himself. He needed to know. They were sitting together in the common room, snuggled up next to each other when Blaine started the conversation.

"Are you all packed for tomorrow?" Blaine asked as he tried to figure out the best way to ease into the conversation.

"Yeah. I just need to pack a few more toiletries but that's it." Kurt replied. "I actually need to call Finn and to double check when he's coming to get me." He said as he went to take his phone out.

"Actually, could you wait before you call him?" Blaine said a little too quickly.

"Um...sure." Kurt said slowly. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just...I wanted to ask you something...about Bastian."

"What about him?" Kurt asked curiously. I swear to God if this going where I think it's going I'm going to be pissed!

"Well...I was just wondering if he...has he...what I'm trying to say is...has he..." - 146 -

"Spit it out, Blaine." Kurt said irritably.

"Has he hit on you?" Blaine asked quickly.

"Hit on me?" Kurt asked flatly.

"Yeah. You've been hanging out with him a lot lately and I just..."

"Want to know if I'm cheating on you?" Kurt snapped.

"No!" Blaine said quickly. "I don't think you're cheating on me. Bastian's just-"

"Just what? Been a good friend to me? Given me advice? Helped me when I needed him? Oh yes, he's a real dog isn't he?" Kurt said sarcastically.

"I didn't say that, Kurt." Blaine said softly.

"You don't have to, Blaine. I know that you guys don't trust him after what he pulled last year but I can't believe that you actually think I would cheat on you!" Kurt said standing up angrily.

"It's not that, Kurt." Blaine said desperately. "It's just...Beatz told me that he saw you guys holding hands in the library yesterday and I can't help but wonder. I'd get it if you'd rather be with him then me. He gets you better than I do and I just...I don't want to lose you."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Kurt asked, his eyes filling up with tears. "No one gets me like you do, Blaine. Bastian may have gone through what I've been through but that doesn't mean that he gets me better. I can't believe you actually think that I would just drop you like that and be with him? It's bad enough that Beatz doesn't believe me but the fact that you don't just...I can't even look at you right now." Kurt walked off angrily, ignoring Blaine's call out to him. I'm going to kill Beatz! I'm going to straight up kill him! I can't believe this! This is crap! How could Blaine not trust me? How could he actually think Bastian gets me better than he does? Doesn't he have faith in me? In us? Kurt stormed into the room, slammed the door behind him, and huffed angrily. He then pulled his cell phone out and called Finn.

"Hey, Kurt. I can't really talk right now." Finn said instantly.

"Oh. Ok." Kurt said dejectedly. "You're still picking me up in the morning, right?" - 147 -

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"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there." Finn replied quickly.

"Alright. I'll talk to you tomorrow then." Kurt said sighing. "Alright, bye." Finn replied and hung up.

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Kurt wiped the few tears that streamed down his face and crawled into his bed. What am I supposed to do? I can't tell Blaine that the reason Bastian was holding my hand was to comfort me. If I do then I'll have to tell him about the conversation and I can't do that. Talking to Bastian about the dreams was hard enough. I can't tell Blaine. I'm not ready to have that conversation with him yet. I can't tell Beatz either, he wouldn't get it. I can't tell them about Bastian's feelings for Thad either. It's not my place. I just can't believe that Blaine actually thinks that I don't want to be with him. I love Blaine, I really do. Why did this have to happen now? Why did this have to happen at all?

Kurt's mind was suddenly consumed with doubt. What if Blaine didn't want to be with him anymore and was using Bastian as an excuse? What if Blaine was ready for more from their relationship but since he hadn't made a move Blaine decided that it wasn't worth it? What if Blaine was bored of him already? I knew it was too good to be true. I knew it wouldn't last. When Blaine walked in the room a few minutes later, his heart sank when he saw that Kurt was crying. His instant reaction was to comfort him but stopped when Kurt said a broken 'don't' to him. He doesn't want me to hold him? Shit! How the hell did I screw this up so quickly? Blaine sighed dejectedly before crawling into his own bed for the night, letting his own set of tears fall.

While Kurt was going through his turmoil, Finn was quickly heading over to Puck's house. He could tell that Kurt was upset and wanted to talk and he felt bad for hanging up on him so quickly but he was supposed to be at Puck's house so they could discuss what Artie and Mike had found out about Karofsky. When he finally got there, the New Directions were dying to hear what Artie and Mike had to say.

"Alright so you all know that Mike and I have been staking out Karofsky's house every day since Quinn started dating him." Artie told them.

"We weren't exactly sure what we were looking for until the mystery man showed up." Mike said.

"What mystery man?" Finn asked.

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"Every time that Karofsky's father is working late, this man comes over to Karofsky's house. He's there for an hour and then he leaves. We've seen it happen about 20 times in the past month and we have theory." Mike told them.

"What's the theory and please tell me it's good. I can't stand pretending to be his girlfriend. Do you have any idea how disgusting I feel every time I kiss him?" Quinn asked with a shudder.

"We know Quinn and we appreciate you taking one for the team." Mike said softly. "Our theory is that Karofsky is hiring this man to sleep with him." Artie told them. "Like a prostitute? Are you sure?" Mercedes asked.

"We think so. The man is always only there for an hour exact, he's always wearing leather black pants, and his hair is always sexified once he leaves. I know it sounds a little far-fetched but if we're right, destroying Karofsky isn't going to as hard as we thought." Mike pointed out.

"Ok so let's say that Karofsky is getting his freak on with some hooker, how do we prove it?" Santana asked.

"Quinn, you're supposed to be going on a date with him in an hour right?" Artie asked her.

"Don't remind me." Quinn said with an eye roll.

"Well, I know for a fact that Karofsky's dad is going to be at a business meeting with my dad, meaning the house will be empty. We were thinking that Puck could get us in. We'll hide some cameras in his room and see if we can get anything." Artie suggested.

"That's pretty risky, guys. Are you sure you want to do that?" Tina asked. "We're sure." Mike nodded.

"Alright then, let's break into some houses." Puck said smiling mischievously.

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While Quinn went on her date with Karofsky and the New Directions waited in Puck's house, Puck, Artie, and Mike broke into Karofsky's house. Puck waited outside standing watch while Mike and Artie quickly went to work. The first thing that Artie noticed was the fact that Karofsky had a webcam on his computer.

"I just got a really good idea." Artie whispered to Mike.

"What is it?" Mike asked as Artie began hacking into Karofsky's computer.

"We can put the cameras up for back up, but if we can catch him live? I'm going to see if I can connect his webcam to my computer, that way I can turn it on from there. If he really is having sex with this guy, then I could link it to everyone and they'll see him doing it. He'll get caught red handed. It's perfect!" Artie exclaimed.

"Oh that is a good idea!" Mike agreed. "Alright you do that, I'll get these cameras set up." It only took Artie and Mike fifteen minutes to set everything up. All they had left to do was wait until the timing was just right for them to bring Karofsky down.

Neither Kurt nor Blaine had slept much that night. It was the first time in close to three months that they'd slept in their own beds and neither one had realized just how much they depended on each other to sleep. Blaine stayed up thinking of all the ways that he could talk to Kurt without it turning out into a fight. He really didn't want to think that there was something going on between Kurt and Bastian but his insecurities were getting to him. Kurt stayed up thinking how stupid he was for believing that Blaine would want to stay with him in the first place. His own insecurities were talking loud and clear and by the time the morning came around, Kurt was convinced that Blaine was only with him out of guilt. They didn't talk all the while Kurt got ready to leave. Both had too much to say and neither knew where to start. When it was time for Kurt to leave, he finally said something to Blaine.

"I'm not cheating on you and Bastian isn't trying to steal me away." He said quietly. "I hate that you think that. I hate that you don't trust me."

"I do tru-"

"No, you don't. If you did then you never would've accused me. I know my friendship with Bastian is a little weird but I promise you it's not what you think."

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\- 150 -

"Kurt, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to accuse you, I just...I don't know what to think." Blaine said quietly.

"Maybe...maybe this break will be good for us. We can think about what is we want or don't want from this relationship. I care about you, Blaine. I really do but...I don't know how I can be with someone who doesn't trust me. I don't...I don't want you to be with me because you feel like you have to be or out of guilt either."

"Kurt." Blaine said brokenly.

"I have to go, Finn's waiting. I'll talk to you later." Kurt said quickly and walked out of the room before Blaine could stop him.

Blaine sat there in shock for a few minutes as Kurt's words rang through his head. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He couldn't believe that Kurt thought he was only with him out of guilt. This is was not how their winter break was supposed to begin. When he heard a knock on the door, he quickly stood up to open it, hoping that it was Kurt coming back with some excuse about forgetting something. When he opened it, he was surprised to see that it was Sebastian.

"Bastian?

"Hey, Blaine. I think you and I should talk."

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Progress

Blaine stepped aside in order to let Sebastian in. He wasn't sure what Sebastian was going to say to him but he hoped that it was nothing bad. They stood there in an awkward silence for a few moments until they heard a quick knock on the door. Sebastian took it upon himself to open it, knowing full well who it was. He let Beatz enter the room, who glanced at Blaine questionably. Blaine merely shrugged and turned his attention to Sebastian who sat down on the edge of Kurt's bed. Beatz and Blaine sat across from him on Blaine's bed and waited for him to talk.

"I know you guys don't trust me and after the crap I pulled last year, I don't blame you." Sebastian told them quietly. "But you have no reason not to trust Kurt. He hasn't done anything wrong and he's not cheating on you, Blaine."

"Then why all the secrets? Why were you holding hands in the library?" Beatz asked immediately.

"We were holding hands because we were talking about Karofsky and I was comforting him. As far as the secrets, he knows something about me that no else does. That's why we're always whispering to each other. It's also why we argue so much." Sebastian told them with a small laugh.

"What does he know that the other Warblers don't?" Blaine asked curiously.

Sebastian took a deep breath, glanced back and forth between Blaine and Beatz, and cleared his throat before telling them. "I'm...I'm in love with Thad and Kurt's been trying to help me come clean with my feelings." He said in one breath.

Beatz' and Blaine's jaws dropped at Sebastian's confession. They both had come up with their own theories as to why Sebastian and Kurt had been so secretive the past two months and neither one were expecting that. Especially Blaine since he knew for a fact that Thad had feelings for Sebastian as well.

"You...you're in love with Thad?" Blaine asked in shock. "For how long?" "Officially or unofficially?" Sebastian asked with a chuckle.

"Both." Beatz told him.

\- 152 -

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"Officially...since last year's intervention. Unofficially...I don't know...the first day we met?" Sebastian said shrugging.

"You're kidding?" Blaine asked, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Nope. I always liked him, even when I was being a douchebag. There was something so pure and innocent about him that made me not pursue him but...I've always had feelings for him. After the intervention I realized that the reason I never tried with him was because I was in love with him. I uh...I tried telling him a few times but never found the courage to do it. The only reason Kurt knows is because he caught me staring at Thad one day and he confronted me about it."

"I just...I can't believe you're in love with Thad." Blaine said laughing lightly. He thought of all the times he, Thad, Nick, and David talked about Thad's feelings for Sebastian and he couldn't get over the fact that Sebastian felt the same.

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, Bastian." Beatz said softly. "I was just-"

"Worried that I'd try and steal Kurt away from Blaine?" Sebastian said smirking. "I know. I don't blame you for thinking that, honestly. You should have more faith in Kurt though, both of you. Kurt would never have fallen for my games. He's too smart for that. He's also madly in love with you, Blaine. You're an idiot to think otherwise."

"Did he...did he say that?" Blaine asked thickly.

"He didn't have to, just like you don't have to say it for me to know that you're in love with him too. I spend a lot of time watching people, Blaine. Believe me when I tell you that you are Kurt's world." Sebastian told him truthfully.

"And now he's pissed at me for not believing him." Blaine said dejectedly, his shoulders slumping in the process.

"I think he's more hurt than pissed to be honest. Give him some time to clear his head than call him. He needs to know that not only do you believe in your relationship but that you believe in him." Sebastian told Blaine sincerely before turning his attention to Beatz. "And you just need to not talk to him. He's mad as hell at you so I suggest you wait until he comes to you. I'm going to call him in a little while and tell him that I spoke to you guys but that's all I can do."

\- 153 -

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"Thanks, Bastian. I...we really appreciate that." Blaine said with a small smile. "As far as Thad goes-"

"Don't go there." Sebastian said quickly. "Please I...I'm going to tell him when school starts back up again

just...please don't say anything."

"Ok." Blaine said as Beatz nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. I'm going to head out and finish my Christmas shopping. I'll see you guys later." Sebastian told them as he stood up.

"Later, Bastian." Beatz said with a nod before he walked out of the room. He them turned his attention back to Blaine who was staring off into space. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I just...I should've believed Kurt. We should've believed Kurt." Blaine said pointedly.

"I know. I'm sorry for starting all this. I just didn't want to see you guys get hurt." Beatz said sheepishly.

"I know. You're a good friend, Beatz. You were only doing what you thought was right." Blaine said sincerely.

"Thanks. Now I gotta get Kurt to not be pissed at me. He's scary when he's angry." Beatz said seriously.

"That he is." Blaine said smiling fondly. "I actually need to get one more thing for him for Christmas. Do you want to catch up with Bastian and head to the mall with him?"

"Yeah, sure." Beatz said shrugging. They quickly made their way out of the room, catching up to Sebastian just as he was heading out of the door and together the three left for the stores.

Kurt was only in the car with Finn for about ten minutes before Finn asked him what was wrong. Finn could tell that something was bothering Kurt and Kurt had been so happy lately that it worried him. Kurt wasn't exactly in a talking mood however so he ignored Finn's initial question.

"Come on, man. You called me yesterday to talk so talk to me now. What's up?" Finn asked curiously after

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a few minutes of silence.

\- 154 -

"It's nothing, Finn." Kurt said flatly as he looked out the window.

"No, dude!" Finn said suddenly. "Don't do that. Don't shut me out. You promised you'd talk to me if something was wrong, so talk. Is there someone messing with you at Dalton?"

"No, Finn. It's nothing like that." Kurt assured him.

"Then what is it?" Finn asked him irritably.

"It's boy trouble, ok?" Kurt snapped at him.

"Oh." Finn said surprised. "Is Blaine like...pushing you to ya know...do stuff?" "No. He'd never do that." Kurt said sighing.

"Ok, then what is it? You can tell me, man." Finn told him seriously.

"It's just..." Kurt started to say but stopped and sighed heavily.

"It's just what?" Finn asked him curiously.

"Well, there's this senior Warbler, Bastian, and we've gotten pretty close lately, and Blaine thinks that I'm cheating on him now." Kurt told him sullenly.

"Oh." Finn said, his eyebrows furrowing together. "You're not though, right?" "Of course I'm not." Kurt replied rolling his eyes.

"Why does Blaine think that?" Finn asked him confused.

"Because Bastian has a history of stealing other guy's boyfriends and Beatz has been watching us this past couple of months and he told Blaine that he thought that Bastian was trying to steal me away from him." Kurt said in irritation. "But he's not at all. He has feelings for one of the other Warblers and I've been trying to get him to come clean. I'm the only one who knows so most of the time we're whispering in a corner about it."

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"And Beatz assumed it was because you're cheating on Blaine?" Finn questioned.

"Yeah. I haven't talked to Beatz since Wednesday and Blaine and I got into an argument last night and again this morning." Kurt said sadly with a sigh.

"Why don't you just tell Blaine what you and Bastian have been talking about?" Finn asked as if it was the simplest answer.

"Because it isn't my secret to tell, Finn." Kurt shrugged. "Bastian's been in love with this guy since last year. The only reason I even know is because I caught him staring and I confronted him about it. I'm not going to break his trust and tell Blaine. I can't do that."

Finn tilted his head to the side and continued driving in silence for the next few minutes before asking more questions. "You said that Bastian has a history of stealing other guy's boyfriend's right?"

"Yeah but he's not the guy anymore. Something really bad happened last year due to his sleeping around with and the Warblers had to do this intervention with him. He hasn't done anything since then but Beatz and Blaine won't believe that he's innocent. I get that they still don't trust him but they're not trusting me either and it's really hurtful." Kurt told Finn angrily. "I would never cheat on Blaine. Blaine's been absolutely incredible and I hate that he won't believe me."

"Maybe he's just scared to lose you, Kurt." Finn said shrugging. "Maybe it's not that he doesn't trust you as much as it's that he just doesn't trust him."

"I know but still." Kurt said in frustration.

"You should talk to him, dude. If Blaine makes you happy then isn't that worth fighting for?" Finn asked him seriously.

"Yeah, it is." Kurt said quietly. "I just...how could I be with someone who doesn't trust me?"

"So that's it? You guys have one disagreement and he gets jealous one time and you're giving up already?" Finn asked in surprise. "That doesn't really sound like you, Kurt."

"I'm not giving up, Finn!" Kurt snapped angrily. "I'm just hurt. I'm allowed to be hurt you know!" - 156 -

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"Ok, ok, I know." Finn said sheepishly. "Just don't like...break-up with him without really talking about it first. I've never seen you as happy as you are whenever Blaine's involved. I'd hate for you to start being sad again."

Kurt looked over to Finn to see that Finn was genuine in his statement. "Yeah...I guess you're right." Kurt said sighing. Finn smiled proudly to himself, happy that for once he was able to give Kurt sound advice. Kurt didn't talk again after that but he did feel better about the situation. He knew that had he been in Blaine's position that he probably would've thought the same thing. In fact, he was sure that he would've gone all diva-Kurt on Blaine which would've inevitably made the situation worse. He would have to talk to Blaine and straighten things out. He just hoped that Blaine would believe him this time around.

Kurt's day at home had been a pretty good one considering his morning had started out so rocky. The first thing he did when he got home was clean out his room. He would be home for a month and there was no way that he was going to allow the temptation to be there. It took him an hour to find all the razors he had hidden in his room. He then cleaned and reorganized his closet. It had been a long time since he wore any of his designer clothes and he actually missed it. Once his room was cleaned out and reorganized, he made a few phone calls to his McKinley friends, he wrapped a few presents, and finally ended his afternoon by cooking dinner with for his family. He hadn't talked to Blaine since that morning and despite their disagreement, he really missed him.

He was sitting on his bed, fumbling with the phone as he tried to convince himself to call Blaine. He nearly jumped off his bed when his phone rang loudly in his hand and startled him. He expected it to be Blaine and was both surprised and slightly disappointed when he saw that it was Sebastian.

"Hey, Bastian." Kurt answered the phone, his disappointment apparent in his voice.

"Hey, Kurt. You ok?" Sebastian asked him curiously.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Kurt said shrugging. "What's up?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted you to know that I talked to Blaine and Beatz today." Sebastian told him

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sighing.

"Oh?" Kurt said in surprise. "What did you tell them?"

\- 157 -

"I told them that I'm in love with Thad and how you're trying to get me to tell him. I also told them that the reason we were holding hands in the library was because we were talking about Karofsky." Sebastian said straight to the point.

"Bastian, you didn't have to tell them all that." Kurt said quietly, feeling guilty about the fact that Sebastian had to tell them his secret.

"Yes, I did, Kurt." Sebastian said firmly. "I couldn't let them think that you were cheating when you weren't."

"Yeah but now they know about Thad." Kurt pointed out.

"That's ok. They would've found out eventually so I figured I might as well tell them now and clear your name in the process." Sebastian told him truthfully. "Have you talked to Blaine yet?"

"No, not yet." Kurt replied sadly. "I don't know what to say."

"Just let him know that you don't hate him. You've been gone not even a day and he's miserable without you. If you aren't ready to talk to him then fine, but at least text him. He's been moping in his room like...all day." Sebastian told him seriously.

"Really?"

"Really. Talk to him."

"Yeah, ok. I'll...I'll text him now. Thanks, Bastian."

"No prob, Kurt. I'll talk to you later." Sebastian said before hanging out.

Kurt fumbled with his phone for a few minutes before deciding to call Blaine instead of sending a text. The phone only rang twice before Blaine answered it.

"Kurt?" Blaine said dejectedly. "Hey, Blaine." Kurt replied quietly.

\- 158 -

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"Hey." Blaine said softly. "How was your first day at home?"

"It was good. I uh, I cleaned my room out and got rid of all my old razors. I don't want the temptation there, ya know?" Kurt said as he laid down on his bed.

"That's really great, Kurt. I'm so proud of you for taking that step." Blaine said sincerely.

"Thanks, Blaine. I wouldn't have had the strength to do it if it weren't for you." Kurt told him genuinely.

"Oh, Kurt..." Blaine said, his voice thick with emotion. "Kurt, I'm sorry for not believing you. I had no right to assume that you were lying and I had no right to blame Bastian. I just...I don't want to lose you, Kurt. I...I really care about you and just the thought of you having feelings for someone one breaks my heart and I just can't imagine not being with you. I can't imagine not having you next to me every morning when I wake up. And I'm not with you because I feel guilty or anything like that, I'm with you because...because I love you!" Kurt's jaw dropped open as Blaine continued on his rant. "There, I said it. I love you, Kurt. I think...I think I've loved you since the first day we met and I just...I don't want to be with anyone else. I don't want you to be with anyone else. When Beatz told me his suspicions I couldn't help but feel insecure and I'm really sorry about that."

Kurt sat there silently for a good while as he tried to wrap his head around the fact that Blaine just told him that he loved him.

"Kurt?" Blaine said slightly broken as the panic of what he said set in. "Did you just...you love me?" Kurt asked him in shock.

"I...I do, Kurt. I love you." Blaine repeated it genuinely.

"Blaine..." Kurt said quietly as he started to cry.

"No, no please don't cry!" Blaine said in a panic.

"I'm sorry. I've just...I've never had anyone love me before and I just...I love you, too Blaine." Kurt said softly.

"You...you do?" Blaine asked in surprise.

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"Well, yeah. How could I not, Blaine? You've been so amazing about everything and I...I can't help but love you."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that." Blaine said with a small chuckle of relief. "Can we just...not fight ever again?"

"I'd love that." Kurt replied with a light laugh.

They spent the rest of the evening talking and sharing sweet words with one another. Kurt meant to stay upset with Blaine longer. It really did bother him that Blaine hadn't trusted him. When he actually started talking to him, however, his heart melted like it always did when it came to Blaine. Not to mention that Blaine told him he loved him and that was something Kurt was sure he'd never hear. It warmed his heart that Blaine felt the same way he did and he was determined to make it work.

Later that night, Kurt dreamt the same dream he'd been having for the past week and woke up feeling both frustrated and disgusted. He hated that Karofsky kept poisoning his mind. He wanted to enjoy his life, he wanted to enjoy his relationship. More than anything, he wanted, needed Blaine to touch him. He knew he would have to do what Sebastian told him but that didn't mean that he wasn't apprehensive about it. Maybe if I see Blaine then do it right after it'll be easier. He decided right then that he would go back up to Dalton the next day to see his boyfriend. It seemed a little silly to drive two hours there then two hours back just to so he could get some alone time with Blaine but he didn't care, he just wanted to be with him.

Kurt was expecting his dad to make a big ordeal about him driving himself to Dalton for a few hours that Sunday but was pleasantly surprised when Burt said it was fine. Burt knew that the school was Kurt's safe haven and he knew that that Blaine meant a lot to his son. If that meant Kurt taking the truck just to go back to Dalton for a few hours then so be it. Kurt hadn't told any of the guys who stayed behind that he was coming back up so when Nick and Sebastian saw him walk into the school, they were both immediately concerned.

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"Is everything ok?" Nick asked him worriedly.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just...I wanted to see Blaine." Kurt admitted as a slight blush crept up on his

cheeks.

\- 160 -

"You couldn't even go a day on break without seeing him." Sebastian teased as she shook his head. "What can I say?" Kurt shrugged laughing. "Where is he?"

"The last time I checked he was in his room reading." Nick told him.

"Ok. Don't tell him that I'm here. I need to talk to Beatz first." Kurt said sighing.

"Oh! Do I get to hear angry Kurt?" Nick asked a tad too enthusiastically.

"Sure, if you really want to." Kurt snapped.

"No, no, never mind." Nick said sulking back, making Sebastian laugh.

"I didn't think so. Now if you boys will excuse me, I have a beatboxer I need to yell at and then a boyfriend to make-out with. I'll see you later." Kurt told them smirking and walked away.

Kurt walked straight over to Beatz' room, knocked hard, and then crossed his arms as he waited for Beatz to open the door.

"Kurt?" Beatz said in surprise. Kurt said nothing. He simply pushed past Beatz, walked into the room, and looked at Beatz intently. "I'm assuming you're here to yell at me?" Beatz asked sheepishly. When Kurt didn't answer but kept his gaze on Beatz, Beatz went into his frantic mood. "Ok look, I'm sorry for being nosey, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, and I'm sorry for telling Blaine." Kurt still hadn't said anything so Beatz continued. "I'm serious, Kurt. I really am sorry. I'm sorry for not believing you either. I was wrong and I deserve whatever you decide to dish out." Kurt stayed silent as he continued to glare at Beatz. "Will you say something?! Yell at me, call me an idiot, slap me, something! Just stop staring at me like that, please?!"

Kurt took a short breath, walked over to Beatz so they were only a few inches away, and kept his eyes locked with Beatz'. "Next time I tell you something, believe me. I wouldn't lie to you Beatz and I'd appreciate it if you kept that in mind." Kurt said with an intensity that made Beatz want to cower.

"I will, I swear." Beatz said with a frantic nod.

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\- 161 -

"Good. Now if you'll excuse, I have a lovely boyfriend who needs my attention. I'll talk to you later." Kurt told him and walked out of the room without another word.

Kurt then walked over to his and Blaine's room, waited outside for only a moment before opening the door slowly. He expected to find Blaine sitting at his desk reading but instead found him curled up in Kurt's bed with his iPod. He couldn't help but think just how adorable Blaine looked with his ungelled hair and Dalton sweats. His eyes were closed so he didn't see Kurt walk into the room. He did feel the bed shift beneath him, grinning wildly when he opened his eyes to see Kurt maneuvering himself next to him.

"What are you doing here?" Blaine asked him curiously as he removed his headphones.

"I missed you." Kurt replied simply before leaning in to kiss Blaine.

Blaine cupped Kurt's face and kissed him tenderly, enjoying the warmth Kurt's body was radiating. Between the dream Kurt kept having and the drama he dealt with the past few days, he couldn't help but want to bring his body closer to Blaine. Kurt scooted closer to his boyfriend, placing his hand on Blaine's hip before darting his tongue experimentally. Blaine gasped in surprise and Kurt took the opportunity to stick his tongue inside Blaine's mouth. When they're tongues collided, the world around them stood still. Neither boy had ever experienced such intense kissing before and it was absolutely mind-blowing. Kurt became a little more daring and slowly sucked on Blaine's lower lip, eliciting the most delicious, most erotic sound Kurt had ever heard. Blaine in return bit lightly on Kurt's lip, granting him an unintentional moan from Kurt.

"Blaine." Kurt said breathily, breaking the kiss.

"I'm sorry. I got carried away." Blaine said as he tried to catch his breath.

"No, don't be. God, don't ever be sorry for doing that. That was...just wow. Besides, I started it." Kurt told him laughing lightly. "We should stop though...before we get too far."

"Yeah, th-that's probably a good idea." Blaine said as he backed away slightly. "Did you come all this way

just to kiss me?" he teased.

"Pretty much." Kurt said with a giggle. "I love you, Blaine." He said shyly. - 162 -

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"I love you, Kurt." Blaine replied softly before attaching his lips onto Kurt's once more.

Knock, Knock. "Hey, guys did you...never mind." Kurt and Blaine looked up at the door to see Sebastian

leaning against the doorway with a mischievous grin. "Yes, Bastian?" Kurt asked with slight annoyance.

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to watch a movie with us but by all means, please continue." Sebastian said, tilting his head to the side.

"Don't be such a perv and stop watching us." Kurt quipped.

"Sorry. It's not my fault you two look hot all wrapped up like that." Sebastian teased.

"Bastian, just go." Blaine said, laughing in embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You two are no fun." Sebastian said laughing as he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Kurt rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back to Blaine. "Did you want to watch the movie with them?"

"Well, that was the plan before I was so wonderfully interrupted by my amazing beautiful boyfriend." Blaine said sweetly as he lightly kissed Kurt's neck.

Kurt moaned softly as Blaine left loving kisses on his neck. "W-we should go out there. I-I don't...trust us right now."

"You don't?" Blaine asked both surprised and a little saddened.

"Well...yeah. I've only been gone a day Blaine and all I want is to touch you, for you to touch me." Kurt admitted shyly. "But I'm not ready...I can't...I can't take that step yet."

"I understand." Blaine said softly as he pushed Kurt's hair back. "Let's go watch that movie then." - 163 -

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By the time Kurt got back home, it was merely minutes before dinner was ready. His family could see a significant difference in Kurt's attitude from the day before and that morning and it astounded them that a simple trip to Dalton would bring so much life back into him. Once dinner was over, Finn asked Kurt to play some video games with him which he did so reluctantly. He really wanted to go upstairs and into the privacy of his shower but Finn's puppy face won out in the end. The trip to Dalton had definitely been a successful one. After his brief make-out session with Blaine and his admittance to wanting to be touched, his mind couldn't stop thinking about it. After a couple of hours of video games, Kurt told Finn that he was tired and hurried upstairs to his room.

As soon as he was in the room, his mind went into overdrive. He was finally alone to do what he knew he needed and instead of feeling scared like he initially thought, he was excited. He locked his bedroom door before heading over to his bag and grabbing Blaine's body wash. Kurt had become accustomed to switching Blaine's body wash when it was empty so when he realized that Blaine needed a new bottle soon, he stole the almost empty one and replaced it like he always did. Blaine didn't question it and Kurt got what he needed.

He turned the shower on, undressed himself, and got into the bathtub. He cleared his mind completely as he lathered the body wash in his hands. He inhaled deeply, his senses becoming overwhelmed in Blaine's scent. As images of Blaine filtered into his brain, he slowly washed his body. His hands made their way south, lightly rubbing up against his half erection, making an appreciative moan escape his mouth. He wasn't worried like he thought he would be nor was it as hard as he thought it would be. Blaine's body wash was sending his senses into their own euphoria as the thought of Blaine rubbing his chest entered his mind. Blaine's hand slowly trailed up and down Kurt's body, tentatively tracing Kurt's nipple. Blaine's hand then traveled south, grabbing Kurt's now throbbing cock gently.

"Blaine." Kurt moaned quietly, leaning his body against the shower wall.

His hand started a slow but steady pace as thoughts of Blaine controlled his every emotion. His pace quickened as slow and steady suddenly stopped being enough. Kurt thrashed his head back and forth as he imagined Blaine kissing his neck fervently. The thought of Blaine's mouth wrapped around his length suddenly became very vivid, making Kurt moan once more.

"Shit! Blaine!" Kurt moaned into the shower as the need to come became too overwhelming. A few more strokes later and Kurt was coming hard into his hand, his thoughts completely engulfed in Blaine.

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Once he had finished coming, he laughed a little hysterically at himself. He couldn't believe that he had actually done it nor could he believe that it had gone so well. He was sure he would freak himself out in the process but hadn't. He washed himself quickly, not realizing the smile that was plastered on his face. He got himself dressed in his pajamas, unlocked his bedroom door, and fell unto his bed completely at ease. Within a few minutes he fell asleep, his thoughts still lingering on Blaine, and his heart feeling lighter than it ever had.

\- 165 -

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Getting Better

"Blaine, please." Kurt moaned softly as Blaine gently squeezed his ass, all the while leaving loving kisses on his neck.

"Please what, baby?" Blaine asked him just above a whisper. "What do you want me to do?"

"Please, just...touch me." Kurt replied breathily.

Blaine looked up at Kurt, wanting to make sure that Kurt knew what he was saying. Kurt locked eyes with him, his lust blown gaze conveying trust and assurance that yes, he did know what he was saying. Blaine leaned forward, brushing his lips against Kurt's before talking.

"I love you." he whispered, their eyes still locked with each other.

"I love you." Kurt replied softly, throwing his head back in pleasure as Blaine's hand slipped into his boxers

and around his throbbing erection.

Blaine woke up abruptly, sweating profusely, and painfully aware of the problem in his pajama pants. Shit! That was...oh my God! Blaine sat up in Kurt's bed, both surprised that his mind had come up with such a dream and undeniably aroused at the thought of having Kurt say his name like that. It was the first sexual dream he'd had in years and it was plaguing his mind like locusts. He couldn't stop hearing Kurt moan his name, he couldn't stop seeing Kurt flustered with his pink cheeks and disheveled hair, and he couldn't stop thinking about how amazing Kurt's skin would feel underneath his fingertips. Oh, this is bad! This is so bad! He also couldn't stop from chastising himself for having such thoughts. Kurt was nowhere near ready for that kind of relationship and he should not be fantasizing about all the things he would do just to hear Kurt moan his name. He attempted to shake the thoughts out of his head before deciding to get up and head for the shower in order to take care of his problem.

Once he was clean, both physically and mentally, Blaine got dressed for the day and made his way down to the house kitchen just in time to see Sebastian lunge across the table at a laughing Beatz.

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\- 166 -

"Uh, hi guys. What's going on?" Blaine asked the boys curiously.

"Beatz doesn't know how to keep his damn mouth shut!" Sebastian snapped angrily as he allowed Nick and Wes to pull him back.

"Um...ok..." Blaine said unsurely as he grabbed himself a bowl of cereal.

"I don't know what the big deal is. It's not like Wes didn't already know so technically I only told one person." Beatz said smirking, ignoring the glare that Sebastian was giving him.

"What are we talking about here?" Blaine asked as he sat down at the table.

"We're talking about how Bastian is in love with Thad." Nick said with a bright smile, glancing sideways at Blaine since they knew all too well that Thad was in love with Bastian too.

"I see." Blaine nodded chuckling. "How did you know?" he asked Wes.

"I'm Wes. I'm all knowing." Wes replied proudly.

"Yeah, well, whatever." Sebastian said irritably. "You guys have to promise not to say anything! Please!"

"I've known for years, Bastian. I promise not to tell a soul." Wes assured him.

"You know me. I never tell anyone's secret." Nick told him pointedly.

"Same here." Blaine said with a mouthful of cereal.

"I already got it out of my system so I'm good." Beatz said smirking.

"You can't keep a secret your damn life. You better not tell Thad or I swear I will punch the shit out of you." Sebastian said firmly, pointing his index finger at Beatz.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." Beatz replied sarcastically.

Sebastian groaned in frustration as he started to slam his head down on the table. Beatz and Nick laughed

at his obvious annoyance while Wes and Blaine just shook their heads. Secret crushes never stayed secret - 167 -

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for long among the Warblers and Sebastian knew that. Thad was sure to find out about his feelings soon enough and he wasn't sure if he was ready after all.

"So, what are the plans for today?" Nick asked the group as he stood up from the table to get another cup of coffee.

"Today is lazy day!" Beatz replied excitedly.

Every year, the Warblers that stayed behind during the holidays followed the Warbler rules of holiday break which included but was not limited to snowball fights, game tournaments, movie marathons, and cleaning house. It was their way of staying connected and enjoying the holidays without the sadness or worry of family.

"Actually today is clean house day." Wes corrected him, making the others groan in disapproval. "Oh, come on guys, clean house day is the best!"

"Yeah, maybe for you." Beatz said sullenly into his hands. "You're the only one who likes to clean."

"It's not that I like to clean, it's that I get to find all the cool shit you idiots lost during the year." Wes told him matter-of-factly. "Now come on, we have a lot to get done today." The boys groaned once again but did as Wes told them, hoping that they could come up with a way to get out of it.

When Kurt woke up that morning, he was in the best mood he could ever remember being in. He hadn't had any nightmares that night, he slept in for the first time in ages, and he felt great, truly great. He would usually lie in bed for a little while after waking up but he was too energized to do that. After just a few minutes, he got out of bed and made his way downstairs, only to find the house completely empty. He knew his dad and Carole would both be working but he had expected Finn to be there. He walked over to the kitchen to get himself some coffee and food and found a note from Finn letting him know that he would be with Puck all day. He sighed a little sadly as he made his coffee and thought about all the things he could do. After his cup of coffee and some cereal, he decided to clean. He connected his iPod to the family iHome in in the living room, put the music on full blast, and went to work.

It took him roughly three hours to clean the entire house top to bottom and he still felt amazing. For much too long, he forgot what it felt like to be happy, to be free, and thanks to Dalton, he was finally starting to

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remember. He had danced and sang loudly with no fear as he cleaned, not once remotely worrying about anything. He was feeling like his old self again and he knew that it was all because of Blaine and the Warblers. As he did his final dusting of the entertainment center in the living room, he lowered the music, pulled his cell phone out, and called Blaine.

"Hello, beautiful." Blaine answered the phone sighing.

"Hello, gorgeous." Kurt replied with a huge grin. "How are you this fine day?"

Blaine could tell that Kurt was in extraordinary mood and it saddened him that he was not there to witness it. "Ok, I guess. Wes is making us clean the house." He told Kurt sullenly.

"I'm not making you. It's tradition!" Kurt heard Wes shout in the background.

"Oh, that is just too, too bad. I was hoping that my wonderful boyfriend would be free to come over since I'm home all by my lonesome." Kurt said disappointedly with a hint of amusement, knowing full well that Blaine would try and sneak away.

"Oh, well when you put it like that, I guess I could try and get away for a little while. We wouldn't you want you to be lonely." Blaine said mischievously, thinking of all the ways that he could leave.

"If you're leaving to see Kurt then I'm coming with you!" Kurt heard Beatz yell in the background.

"Me too!" Sebastian shouted.

"Anderson, you are not going anywhere!" Wes yelled sternly.

"But, Wes, Kurt's home all alone! I can't just leave him!" Blaine whined to Wes and Kurt was positive that Blaine was doing his best pouty face.

"Give me that phone!" "No! Stop it!"

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Kurt laughed as he heard Wes and Blaine fighting for the phone and the guys hooted and hollered in the background. "Kurt, you cannot call Blaine and disrupt tradition. I'm sorry that you are home alone but he is not going anywhere." Wes told him firmly, ignoring the shouts of protests from Blaine.

Kurt was going to attempt to argue with Wes but decided that bribery would probably get him better results. "Now, Wes, I understand that you want to stick to tradition but maybe you could skip on it just for today? If you and the guys come over here, I'll bake a special batch of cookies just for you."

"Really?" Wes asked instantly.

"Really. Just tell me what your favorite is and I'll have them done by the time you guys get here." Kurt told him slyly.

Wes stayed silent for a few minutes as he thought about the pros and cons of accepting Kurt's offer. "Ok, you have a deal. But I want 2 dozen macadamia nut cookies."

"Deal." Kurt replied happily.

"Alright, Warblers, you have exactly fifteen minutes to get ready or I'm leaving for Kurt's without you!" Kurt heard Wes say distantly.

"How did you convince him to do that?" Blaine asked in shock.

"I offered him cookies." Kurt replied smiling. "So, I'll see you in a couple of hours?"

"Yes, yes you will." Blaine said, grinning widely as he headed back to his dorm.

"Good. I'll see you soon." Kurt said excitedly before hanging up. He turned the music back up, switched his playlist, and headed into the kitchen to bake.

Kurt had finished baking Wes' cooking plus some regular chocolate chip ones for the other guys with just enough time to take a shower and get dressed. He was far too tempted by the rest of Blaine's body wash not to use it again, which inevitably led to him taking care of himself. Once he was clean and satisfied, he did a quick but thorough skin cream regimen, he fixed his hair like he used to, and dressed in his favorite

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pair of skinny jeans and his favorite matching top. He had just finished doing a once over when he heard the doorbell ring. He quickly made his way over to the front, smiling excitedly as he opened the door for his friends.

"Hey, guys."

It took the Warblers a moment to respond because it was the first time they had ever seen Kurt dressed in anything other than the Dalton uniform or sweats. Kurt stood there smiling, letting them gape at him, and knowing how surprised they must be to see him in such a fashionable manner. Beatz was the first to say anything as he tried to wrap his head around what he was seeing.

"Who are you and what happened to the real Kurt Hummel?"

"I'll have you know that this is the real Kurt Hummel." Kurt replied matter-of-factly. "Now get your asses inside, you're letting all the cold in." Kurt moved to the side to let the guys in, closed the door behind and walked over to the kitchen. "These are for you." he said to Wes as he handed him his cookies. He then walked over to Blaine, who was still gaping at him, while Nick, Beatz, and Sebastian started eating the chocolate chip cookies he had set out. "Hi." He said sweetly.

"H-hi." Blaine stammered. "You look...great." He said gulping as his eyes traveled up and down Kurt's body.

Kurt stepped closer to Blaine, wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck, and leaned over to kiss his cheek softly. "Thank you." he whispered into Blaine's ear.

Between what Kurt was wearing, the close proximity, and the breath that lingered on his neck, Blaine couldn't help but shudder slightly as Kurt kissed him just underneath his ear. Blaine took a deep a breath to calm himself down, catching a whiff of his own body wash. "Did you use my body wash?" he asked Kurt suspiciously.

Kurt turned a slight pink at the question, glancing over at Sebastian who was watching him knowingly. "Maybe." He replied nonchalantly.

Blaine had to bite his lower lip in order to stop the small moan that threatened to escape his lips. His thoughts instantly went to Kurt's naked body using his body wash. He cleared his throat as he pulled Kurt closer so that their bodies were pressed together. A part of him was screaming that he was being too

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forward but the way Kurt was looking at him made him feel like he was being dared to do something about it, making his hormones take over his logic. "What are you playing at?" he asked Kurt lowly.

"I guess you're just going to have to find out." Kurt replied a lot more seductively then he had intentioned.

"Is there a real reason why we're here or was it just an excuse to watch you two eye fuck each other?" Beatz asked, his mouth full of cookies.

"Hey, I'm not complaining." Sebastian said jokingly.

"Bastian, shut up." Kurt said rolling his eyes. "And yes, there's a real reason Beatz. I was hoping we could go to the mall. I know it's crazy with people doing last minute Christmas shopping but it's been a while since I've actually bought any new outfits."

"The mall sounds like a good idea." Nick said nodding.

"You're just saying that because you don't want to go back to school and clean." Beatz said laughing.

"No, I'm saying that because Kurt is obviously doing better and we should help him on his road back to himself." Nick said defensively.

"And?" Sebastian said smirking.

"And...I don't want to clean." Nick admitted quietly, avoiding Wes' glare. "What do you say Wes? Shopping trip?" Kurt asked with a hopeful smile.

Wes glanced at the guys for a moment, his eyes landing on Kurt as he opened up the Tupperware of cookies. He pulled a cookie out, closing his eyes and moaning softly as he took a bite, and then nodded. "Yeah, ok. Let's go shopping."

The boys quickly learned that shopping with Kurt was not at all what they had expected. It was the first time Kurt had gone shopping in months and he was determined to make up for lost time. When they first arrived, Kurt was a little reluctant to go in, despite it being his idea. Blaine had assured him that

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everything would be fine and after about fifteen minutes of walking around, a switch in Kurt's mind flipped. Before the guys could realize it, Kurt was all over the place, looking for the best sales. He was no longer the sad, damaged boy who initially arrived at Dalton but he was once again Kurt Hummel, diva and fashionsta extraordinaire. It didn't matter that the mall was jam packed with people doing their last minute Christmas shopping; diva Kurt was in full force and nothing could stop him from pushing his way through all the crazy.

The boys followed him in both confusion and amusement as Kurt snapped at the strangers in his way. He spent only a short while in the first store, deciding that there was nothing there worth the hassle. He repeated the same steps at the next five stores he visited: he'd walk in with determination, he'd walk his set pattern around the store to see what was on the racks, he'd stop every so often to contemplate a piece of clothing, and then he'd leave in frustration. None of his usual stores were satisfying his desire for new clothes and it was starting to really piss him off.

"This is absolutely ridiculous!" Kurt complained to Blaine as they left the sixth store.

"Are you looking for something specific or?" Blaine asked him curiously, thankful for the crowded stores

so he able to walk extra closely to Kurt without any odd looks.

"I'm looking for high fashion, Blaine and apparently every single one of my favorite stores has decided that they are no longer understand what true fashion is." Kurt replied irritably.

"Hey, what about that store?" Sebastian suggested, pointing to a new store that had only opened up in the past month.

Kurt looked over to where Sebastian was pointing, immediately noticing the stylish mannequins on display. Without a word, Kurt cut through the crowd and headed for the new shop, his boyfriend and friends following close behind. In a matter of minutes, Kurt had clothes piling up in his arms to try out. Wes had asked him if he needed any help at one point and soon regretted offering it when he became Kurt's clothing rack.

"Exactly how did I end up being the one that holds all your clothes?" Wes asked him flatly as he sifted through the shirts in Wes' arms.

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"Yeah but shouldn't Blaine be the one doing this? He is your boyfriend." Wes pointed out sighing. "And where the hell did the guys go anyway?"

"Beatz and Sebastian ran away from me when I tried picking clothes for them to wear and Nick and Blaine are allowing me to dress them. Thus another reason why you are currently my clothes rack." Kurt told him as he grabbed a different set of shirts.

"So wait, am I holding clothes for Nick, Blaine, and you?" Wes asked in disbelief.

"You sure are." Kurt replied with a bright smile. "Thanks, Wes."

"Unbelievable." Wes said shaking his head as Kurt walked away towards the dressing rooms.

Sebastian, who was doing his own shopping, saw Beatz at the entrance of the store with an intent and angry expression on his face. "Hey, what's up?" Sebastian asked him curiously. Beatz only response was a nod making Sebastian follow his line of vision. "Who's that?" he asked confused when he saw that Beatz was having a staring contest with a burly football player.

"Karofsky." Beatz snarled.

Sebastian stiffened at the name instantly. "That's him, huh?" "Yeah, that's him." Beatz said through gritted teeth.

Karofsky glared at Beatz from across the mall, daring him to start something but Beatz stayed put. He shifted only slightly when he noticed Sebastian standing with Beatz. They stayed like that for another five minutes or so until Wes, Nick, and Blaine came to tell them that Kurt was finally done and checking out. Karofsky assumed that Kurt was with them as well even though he hadn't seen him. With the five Warblers all staring at him angrily, he finally scoffed and walked away. He was pissed that he hadn't seen Kurt, even if just to scare the crap out of him. He hated how Kurt made him feel. He loathed how desperate he became for him. As he walked off, he pulled his cell phone out and quickly dialed a number.

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"Yes?" the voice on the other end said sounding bored.

"I need to see you tonight." Karofsky told him.

"You still owe me for last time, Dave." The man replied.

"I know, I know! Just fucking meet me, ok? I'll have the money." Karofsky growled into his phone.

"Don't worry about the money. I'm sure we can come up with a different alternative of payment." The man said seductively.

"Ugh! Fine! Just come over tonight!" Karofsky snapped, hating how desperate he sounded. "Temper, temper. I'll be there."

Kurt ended up dragging the guys to three other stores where he spent a significant amount time trying on clothes and dressing his friends. By the time they were done shopping, Kurt bought almost an entire new wardrobe plus several items for all five of the guys. They were all exhausted, with the exception of Kurt who felt liberated, and swore that they would never go shopping with Kurt again. By the time they arrived back at Kurt's house, Burt, Carole, and Finn were already home. Carole was in the kitchen cooking dinner while Burt and Finn were watching TV together. Kurt walked into the house happily, carrying several bags, followed by the guys who were also carrying numerous bags each.

"Hey, kiddo. Good day?" Burt asked him as he walked past, eyeing all the bags in the process.

"Great day!" Kurt replied as he continued to his room.

"Maybe for you." Beatz grunted, making Burt and Finn laugh. They knew all too well what shopping with Kurt was like and if the amount of bags was any indication then they could only imagine how tired the guys must really be.

As soon as all the bags were set down, the boys said their goodbyes to Kurt and walked out, desperate to get back to Dalton where they could finally relax. Blaine stayed behind for a few extra minutes in order to give Kurt a proper goodbye, which resulted in a quick make-out session.

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"I really don't want you to go." Kurt said softly against Blaine's lips. "I feel like I barely had a chance to really spend time with you today."

"I know, me too." Blaine replied sadly. "We won't see each other again until after Christmas." "Don't remind me." Kurt replied rolling his eyes. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too." Blaine said sighing.

"Anderson, let's go! I want to go to bed!" they heard Beatz shout out to them.

"I guess you better go." Kurt said sullenly.

"Yeah, I guess." Blaine replied pouting.

Kurt leaned forward, captured Blaine's lips, and kissed him passionately. He really wanted Blaine to stay. He wanted Blaine to stay and he wanted Blaine to touch him like he'd been fantasizing. He knew that if he asked he could stay the night at Dalton but he knew that if he stayed at Dalton, he would act on his desires. He also knew that he wasn't quite ready for that though. Instead, he decided to let Blaine know.

"I need to tell you something." Kurt said shyly.

"What is it?" Blaine asked curiously as he rubbed small circles on Kurt's lower back.

"Remember how I told you how I wasn't ready for...you know...anything physical?" Kurt asked, biting his lip.

"Yeah." Blaine said slowly.

"Well, I'm not but...maybe once school starts back up...we could...you know...explore a little more." Kurt said quietly, as he trailed his fingers down Blaine's chest.

"Y-yeah?" Blaine stammered nervously. "Yeah, if you want." Kurt shrugged slightly.

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"Yes!" Blaine answered quickly. "I mean, if you want to start trying new things then I'm more than willing to try with you."

"I do." Kurt told him nodding. "I can't let what happened prevent me from taking that step with you. I want to take this slow but I definitely want to move forward."

"I'd really like that." Blaine replied softly before kissing Kurt once more.

"Seriously, Blaine! It's not like you're never going to see him again! Let's go!" Beatz shouted. "He's coming!" Kurt yelled back. "Hold your damn horses!"

"Kurt, language!" Burt called out.

"Sorry, dad." Kurt called back out. "I'll walk you out."

Kurt walked Blaine back downstairs, ignoring the tired glares he was receiving from the guys, gave Blaine one final goodbye kiss, and let the guys go back to Dalton. He then made his way back to his room in order to start reorganizing his closet. All of the clothes he bought were for the new and improved Kurt who would make its first official appearance at Nick's New Year's Eve party. He was done hiding and he was done being scared. It was time for him start being himself again and he was determined to start the New Year right.

Later that night, Finn got a phone call from Puck calling an emergency meeting. He waited until he was sure that his family was asleep before sneaking out. When he got there, the New Directions were in a frenzy over what could possibly be wrong. Puck settled them down and gave Artie the floor to tell everyone what they had discovered.

"Puck and I were sitting outside Karofsky's house when that guy showed up again. I hacked into his webcam and ya'll ain't gon' believe what we saw."

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"Not exactly." Artie said shaking his head. He then pulled his laptop out and showed them what they had found.

Karofsky wasn't hiring a prostitute like they originally thought, he was buying drugs. The glee club watched in shock as they saw Karofsky do a line of cocaine off his end table. Once the drugs were taken and put away, the mystery man and Karofsky started talking.

"I can't believe he's doing that!" Rachel said in a shrill voice.

"Can't you?" Santana quipped. "After what he did to Kurt, nothing he does is going to surprise me."

"Wait, I thought you said that he didn't hire a prostitute." Mercedes asked, her eyes still locked on the screen. Karofsky and the mysterious man had stopped talking and we now making out.

"He didn't." Puck told her. "We kept rewinding it and watching their mouths when they were talking and I guess Karofsky owed him money so he paying with sex instead."

"Shit just keeps getting better and better don't it?" Santana asked in frustration.

"So what now?" Tina asked, looking away from the laptop since they started to undress each other.

"I don't know." Artie said, turning the video off. "I know the plan was to link everyone to his webcam and bust him like that but this changes things. We have some real incriminating information but I'm not sure how to go about it now." The glee club sat silently for a little while, thinking of the best way to bring Karofsky down.

"I got it!" Brittany said excitedly.

"You have an idea?" Puck asked her sarcastically.

"Yep, and it's good too." she replied smiling.

"What is it, Britt?" Santana asked her curiously.

Brittany's smile widened as she stood up in the middle of the room. "Ok, here's what we do."

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Merry Christmas

That following week went by fairly quickly for Kurt. He spent time with his old friends, he went to the shop with his dad a few times, and he talked to Blaine several times throughout the day. It was nice to be home but he really did miss being at Dalton. In those days, he also became more and more comfortable with his body as he explored himself. What started out as something to try in the shower turned into so much more as the days went on. His nightmares had been replaced by dreams of Blaine which resulted in him waking up in the middle of the night with the need to take care of himself. At one point, he had called Sebastian to gripe at him for not warning him that exploring himself would lead to the constant desire.

"This isn't funny, Bastian!" Kurt had told him irritably. "You never told me that this would make me so...you know!"

"What? Horny?" Sebastian replied laughing. "I thought that was kind of a given, Kurt. I didn't know I was supposed to warn you."

"Of course you were! This is me we're talking about! Stop laughing! This is not funny! God, Bastian! I even went out and bought his damn body wash just so I could smell him when I...you know!"

"Ok listen, it's great that you're getting more comfortable with the idea of having sex with Blaine," Kurt couldn't help but blush at the words sex with Blaine and even through the phone he could tell that Sebastian was smirking mischievously. "But if you can't even say the word masturbate then how do you expect to take that next step?"

"I...um..."

"Say it, Kurt. Mas-tur-bate."

"Really, Bastian?" Kurt asked exasperatedly.

"Really. Say it." Sebastian implored seriously.

"Ugh! Fine!" Kurt groaned in frustration. "Masturbate. Happy?"

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"Ok, now say, 'I masturbate to thoughts of my super-hot boyfriend Blaine.'" Sebastian had instructed him.

"Bastian!" Kurt whined in his pillow.

"Come on, say it. You wanted my help with this so this is me helping. Say it, Kurt." Sebastian said seriously.

Kurt took a quick breath and gulped audibly before repeating the words. "I masturbate to thoughts of my super-hot boyfriend Blaine."

"Good, now say, 'I want to have sex with Blaine." "I will not!" Kurt replied quickly.

"If you can't even say that sentence than you shouldn't even be contemplating having sex with him in the first place." Sebastian said firmly.

"But...I..." Kurt stumbled on his words as he tried to come up with an excuse as to why he didn't need to say it.

"Stop being scared and say it. Set yourself free." Sebastian told him softly.

Kurt closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let the words come out. "I want to have to have sex with Blaine." As soon as he finished the sentence, his face broke out in a huge grin.

"There we go!" Sebastian said proudly. "Was that so hard?" he then asked in a baby voice.

"Don't patronize me, Smythe!" Kurt snapped at him. "You're just jealous because I have a boyfriend while you're still pining over Thad."

"I'm going to tell him, ok?! God, Hummel! Quit hounding me about it!" Sebastian had replied in frustration.

"Oh no! A deal's a deal! If I have to talk to you about all my desires for Blaine then you have to talk about your love for Thad. Just because you don't want to talk about it doesn't mean that the feelings are going to go away." Kurt had said firmly and just like that, their entire conversation had flipped around.

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Kurt had never expected to become such good friends with Sebastian but he was really grateful for it. He was grateful that he had someone who understood rape and he was grateful to have someone to talk to about Blaine. While his other friends would be there for him had he ever needed to talk, he didn't feel comfortable with them when it came to that topic. Because of their similar pasts though, Kurt knew that Sebastian would know where he came from with his concerns. Because of their pasts, they would stay friends for many years to come.

Back at Dalton, the Warblers were following traditions to the last detail during that week. They had their snowball fight, an all-day movie marathon, a huge scavenger hunt, lazy day, and an epic hide-and-seek game that included not only the Warblers, but all the boys who stayed behind plus the staff and the dean. There was no question about it; Dalton was most definitely not your average school. From day one of the school's opening, the boys were taught that being different was a good thing, if not the best thing.

Movie marathon day was the Warblers favorite day because it meant that they got to pig out on junk food all day while watching Christmas classics such as all the Home Alone movies, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Gremlins. Gremlins was always the last movie they watched and it was also Beatz' least favorite.

"Man, I hate that stupid furry little monster." Beatz mumbled through gritted teeth.

"What?! How could you hate Gizmo?" Blaine asked in shock. This was the first year that he had stayed at

Dalton for the holidays so it was the first time hearing about Beatz' hatred for the creature.

"That thing is evil! Pure, unadulterated evil!" Beatz told him firmly.

"How could you say that? He's adorable!" Blaine said seriously.

"He is not!" Beatz said angrily. "You pour water on him and then demons spawn from his back! You're deluded if you think that's adorable!"

"Now wait just a minute-"

"Blaine, don't bother." Wes cut in. "He has an irrational fear of mogwai."

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"It's not an irrational fear! It's a totally legitimate reaction to tiny creatures with sharp ass fangs and claws that kill you!" Beatz all but shouted. "And if I have an irrational fear it's because of David and Trent!"

"What do they have to do with this?" Blaine asked bemused.

"You haven't heard of Project Baby Andrew?!" Nick asked, his eyes wide in surprise. "I thought everyone knew that story."

"What's Project Baby Andrew?" Blaine asked them curiously.

"Only the funniest thing to ever happen in the walls of Dalton I'm sure." Sebastian said laughing.

"Two years ago, Trent and David had this brilliant idea to buy Beatz a mogwai toy for Christmas." Wes told him as the Nick and Sebastian continued to snicker.

"It was supposed to help me overcome my fear of the nasty little thing." Beatz said sarcastically. "Yeah, except it was all a set up." Sebastian said shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked him.

"Well, they also bought a gremlin toy and some over the counter sleeping pills. They laced his food with the pills, and later that night when he was passed out, they replaced the mogwai with the gremlin." Wes said laughing.

"They didn't just replace it; they put that damn toy on my pillow! On my pillow, Blaine! I woke up that next morning with it right in my damn face!" Beatz said exasperatedly.

"You should've seen him, it was so funny! He ran out of his room screaming at the top of his lungs that it was alive and it was out to get him." Nick said still laughing.

"Yeah, he ran into the kitchen to look for a knife to kill it but of course there aren't any real ones because well, it's Dalton. He panicked and started crying and I mean, he was sobbing like a baby! It was the funniest thing I've ever seen." Sebastian laughed whole-heartedly.

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"It was horrible, dude! I was absolutely terrified!" Beatz said sullenly.

"You didn't let it go though, did you? Did you ever get them back?" Blaine asked him curiously.

"I got Trent back that next day. I went into his room at like, 2 in the morning and filled it with like, 100 toy snakes. He screamed like a banshee that next morning." Beatz said proudly.

"Yeah, but he didn't cry." Sebastian pointed out teasingly. "Shut up, Bastian." Beatz said as he threw a pillow at him. "What about David?" Blaine asked him.

"I'm still working on that." Beatz replied sighing.

"Don't worry, Beatz. I'm sure you'll get him back someday...maybe..." Nick said unsurely. "Does David even have any fears?"

"You know, I don't think he does." Sebastian replied thoughtfully.

"He does." Wes and Blaine said simultaneously.

"Really? What is it?" Beatz asked excitedly.

"Uh...I forgot." Wes said as he glanced at Blaine. They were the only ones who knew about David's fear of spiders and they had been sworn never to tell a soul.

"Yeah, me too." Blaine said quickly.

"Bullshit! Come on, tell me!" Beatz pleaded. "Can't. Forgot. Sorry." Wes said looking away.

"So how bout that movie." Blaine then said with a nervous chuckle as he turned his attention back to the movie. Beatz glared at them for a moment but didn't say anything. Now that he knew that David did indeed have a fear, he had every intention on finding out. It would only be a matter of time.

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Christmas Eve had been an emotional day for Kurt. It was their first Christmas together as a new family and while he wanted to incorporate Carole and Finn's holiday traditions with theirs, he was having a hard time letting his mother's traditions go. It was little things at first; the way the stockings were hung or how the presents were placed under the tree. His father convinced him that it really didn't matter and in the end, they found new ways to do it that suited everyone. But as the day went on and dinner preparations started, he refused to even consider the thought of not using his mother's recipes. It turned into a fight between him and his dad which resulted in him locking himself away in his room for the rest of the day. He knew that he was being childish and he knew that he was being unfair but he didn't care. He loved Carole and Finn, he really did, but he wouldn't let his mother's traditions die. He couldn't.

Once dinner was done, Burt demanded that he come back downstairs and eat with his family. He did so reluctantly and made sure to glare angrily at Finn who just stood there scared and confused. When he walked into the dining room, he was shocked to see that Carole followed his mother's recipes and set the table exactly how she used to. When he asked her why, she simply told him that she didn't want him to feel like she was trying to take over; she just wanted to be a part of his traditions too. He felt really bad after that for the scene he had made. Christmas was supposed to be about family and he went and acted like a child over the fact that he hadn't gotten his way at the time. He apologized to her, thanked her for the work she put into it, and then told her that they could do things her way that following year. Once the air had been cleared, they ate their first Christmas Eve dinner together, which turned out absolutely delicious, and then spent the evening watching a movie.

Their Christmas day started off with them opening their gifts, they then played a few board games, and they ended the night watching old home movies, which was a Hudson tradition. Despite the drama Kurt caused himself, he had a good Christmas and was glad that it was finally over because it meant that he got to go to Dalton that next day to see Blaine. The Warblers had exchanged gifts before they went on vacation but he and Blaine waited to exchange theirs until after Christmas. Kurt had done a lot of searching and deal making to get Blaine's gift and he couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he opened it.

Kurt woke up bright and early the day after Christmas. He took his time getting ready, making sure that he looked amazing for Blaine without going over the top; he was saving that New Year's. He dressed himself in one of his favorite old outfits, he styled his hair just right, and wrapped himself in the new coat and

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scarf he bought earlier in the week. Burt had allowed him to take the truck to Dalton with the promise that he would return before nightfall so he left as early as could so he had more time to spend there. When he got to Dalton, he quickly grabbed Blaine's gift along with the New Directions collage Finn made for him, and headed up to his room. He knocked softly on the door before opening it, only to find Blaine still asleep in his bed. He smiled to himself as he set his things down and then sat in the edge on the bed before leaning down and kissing Blaine softly on the slightly stubbly cheek.

"Blaine, wake up." Kurt said quietly.

"Hm." Blaine groaned.

"Blaine, honey, wake up." Kurt said a little louder.

"Dontwanna" Blaine mumbled.

"Fine, I guess I'll just go." Kurt said sighing heavily as he made his way to get up. "No. Cuddle." Blaine then said, grabbing Kurt and attempting to make him lie down. "Blaine." Kurt whined laughing. "Come on, sleepy head. Wake up, please?" "Cuddle." Blaine said louder, tightening his grip on Kurt's waist.

"We can cuddle later." Kurt replied as he brushed a few curls out of Blaine's face. "Right now I want you to wake up so that I can kiss you." Blaine puckered his lips in response making Kurt roll his eyes. He leaned in and kissed him but quickly pulled away. "You can't open your super amazing gift if you wake up."

Blaine sighed and yawned as he opened his eyes. "Morning, beautiful."

"Morning, handsome." Kurt replied smiling. "Now up. Get that cute tush of yours out of bed."

Blaine chuckled softly as he sat up, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and looked at Kurt lovingly, finally taking in his appearance. "You look amazing I'll have you know."

"Thank you." Kurt said blushing at the compliment.

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Blaine leaned forward, kissed Kurt chastely, before getting off the bed to grab Kurt's gifts. He then sat down next to Kurt and handed him two boxes; a small one and a regular sized one. "The small one was kind of a last minute gift but it made me think of you so I got it."

Kurt smiled softly at him before grabbing Blaine's gift and giving it to him. "Open yours first." "Why can't we just open them at the same time?" Blaine asked bemused.

"Because I want to see the look on your face when you open it." Kurt replied smiling.

Blaine chuckled lightly as he unwrapped the present. When he opened the unmarked box, his eyes widened in shock. "Kurt! Where did you get this?" Kurt had gotten him a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone which had no difference to the American version other than the title itself. Kurt knew that Blaine would appreciate it though since he was such a huge fan.

"Open it." Kurt said, biting his lip in anticipation.

Blaine quickly opened the book and on the front page was J.K. Rowling's autograph. "Holy crap! Is this real?"

"Of course it's real! I'm kind of insulted you'd think otherwise." Kurt said playfully. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? Kurt, I love it! It's amazing! Thank you!" Blaine said happily. "It goes great with what my grandmother got me."

"What did she get you?" Kurt asked curiously.

"A set of Harry Potter wizard's chess." Blaine replied with a toothy grin. "Now open yours, but open the small one first."

Kurt smiled as he opened the small package. "Blaine, it's beautiful." He said softly when he saw the figurine. It was a pale skinned elf with light brown hair, blue eyes, and it was sitting with its back against a tree. When Kurt took it of its box, he saw that it had a wind up on the side. He wound it up and smiled adoringly when the delicate music played. "It's lovely. Blaine. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Blaine said smiling brightly.

\- 186 -

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Blaine watched Kurt carefully as he opened the other present. He had planned that present since their first date and he was anxious to see what Kurt thought. Kurt gasped in surprised when he saw that the gift was a photo album. The cover had a picture of them cuddled together underneath their tree and their names were etched on top in a heart. Kurt took the book out slowly and opened it to find that the album was already full of pictures from their first date.

"Blaine." Kurt said in a whisper as tears welled up in his eyes.

"I had Beatz and Nick take the pictures for us." Blaine told him. "That's why they drove you out there together."

"Blaine, this is amazing. Thank you." Kurt said as he looked up at him. "Merry Christmas, Kurt."

"Merry Christmas, Blaine." Kurt leaned over and captured Blaine's lips in a quick but passionate kiss. "I love you so much. You have no idea how much I love you."

"I think I do." Blaine replied playfully. "I love you, too."

They set their gifts down and started kissing tenderly for the next while. It had been way too long in both of their opinions since they had spent time together and they were both desperate for the other's touch. When their kisses became more heated and Blaine attempted to move Kurt closer in, Kurt stopped the kiss and backed away slightly. He wanted to talk to Blaine about an idea that he had and he needed both his consent and opinion.

"Could we talk for a minute before we end up making out for the next hour?" Kurt asked him nervously. "Yeah, of course. Is everything ok?" Blaine asked in concern.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine." Kurt assured him. "I just...I wanted to run an idea past you."

"Ok. What's up?" Blaine asked curiously.

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"Well, Nick told me that there would drinking at his New Year's Eve party and I was thinking that maybe you and I could drink a little bit, just enough to loosen us up, and then maybe we could like...sneak away from everyone and just...be together." Kurt said cautiously.

"Be together how exactly?" Blaine asked, although he was fairly sure he knew what Kurt was getting at.

"You know, be together. I'm not talking like...full on...intercourse, but maybe we could do some exploring?" Kurt suggested.

"You want us to drink and then fool around?" Blaine asked slightly perturbed. "Kurt, I don't...I don't want to do that."

"You don't?" Kurt asked quietly.

"No." Blaine replied firmly. "Why would you think that I would?"

"I...I don't know. It was just a suggestion. Never mind, the whole thing is stupid anyway." Kurt said quickly, feeling rejected and idiotic for even bringing it up.

"Kurt." Blaine said softly.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm fine." Kurt replied a little shakily. "I'm going to go say hi to the guys." He said as he got up from the bed.

"Kurt, wait." Blaine said quickly as he got off the bed to walk over to him. "Please, don't go. Let's talk about this."

"What's there to talk about? You don't want to do it. It's fine." Kurt said shaking his head. "Kurt."

"I said it was fine, Blaine. I get it, ok? You don't...see me in that light. Why would you anyway? After what Karofsky did-"

"Hey, no! Don't say that! You know that's not true." Blaine said firmly, feeling a little hurt at the accusation. - 188 -

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"Isn't it?" Kurt asked quietly.

"No, of course it isn't!" Blaine assured him. "Come here." He grabbed Kurt's hand and walked him back over to the bed to sit down. "Kurt, I love you and I do want to take that step but not like that. I'm surprised that you want to."

"I just...I figured that if I drank a little I wouldn't be so scared to try." Kurt admitted shrugging.

"Ok, I guess I can see the logic behind that but what's going to happen the next time we try things out? Are you going to be able to do it or are you going to need to be tipsy? Drinking and sex is never a good combination, Kurt. Especially if it's the first time you've actually ever done anything. Besides, I don't want alcohol to be the reason you were courageous enough to let me touch you. I want to be the reason."

"It's not because you don't find me sexually attractive?" Kurt asked in just above a whisper.

"Not sexually-are you kidding me?" Blaine asked exasperatedly. "Kurt, you are the sexiest guy I've ever

met and you don't even have to try!"

"Really?"

"Really." Blaine assured him. "I've always been honest and open with you so I'm going to let you in on my dirty little secret." He said with a nervous chuckle. "I've uh, I've been dreaming about you, about us having sex for a few weeks now and trust me when I tell you that I really want to, Kurt. I want it to be right though. I want you to be comfortable enough with me to do it. I couldn't fool around with you while you were intoxicated and not feel like I used you, even if it was your idea. I want us to be sober and safe and 100% sure before we do anything. I don't want you to have to rely on alcohol for anything, Kurt. That's how alcoholics are born."

"Yeah...ok." Kurt said nodding. "You're right, it was a stupid idea. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize, sweetheart. No harm done." Blaine replied softly as he lightly caressed Kurt's cheek.

"So...you've been dreaming about us?" Kurt asked shyly.

"Yeah." Blaine replied laughing lightly. "It's been an interesting vacation." - 189 -

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"Want to know a secret?" Kurt asked with a mischievous smirk. "Sure." Blaine replied slowly.

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"I've been dreaming about us too. It's actually why I've been using your body wash." Kurt admitted, biting his lower lip as his cheeks turned a bright pink.

"Wait...you've been using my body wash and doing what exactly?" Blaine asked curiously with a devilish look in his eyes.

Kurt's blush deepened as he moved him closer to Blaine so that he could whisper in his ear. "I've been using your body wash so that I can smell you while I masturbate."

"Y-you...ok." Blaine said in shock. "And uh, what exactly do you think about when you do this?" he asked lowly, letting the stubble on his face brush against Kurt's smooth skin.

Kurt shuddered slightly and gulped audibly before answering. "I imagine that it's you touching me." He whispered. He couldn't believe that he was having this conversation with Blaine but couldn't help but continue as his arousal took over. "I imagine your strong yet soft hands running down my body and I imagine you kissing every inch of me."

"Do you...do you say anything while you do this?" Blaine asked as he traced a single finger up Kurt's thigh.

"I call out for you." Kurt told him truthfully.

"Shit." Blaine groaned. "Ok...we need to stop talking about this."

"What if I don't want to?" Kurt asked seductively. He had no idea where the sudden courage came from but decided to go with it. He leaned over just a tiny bit more and nipped at Blaine's earlobe.

The next thing they knew, they were laying back on the bed, making out heavily, and letting their hands grope each other. There was a part of Kurt that was telling him to slow down but the way Blaine was touching him and the way Blaine was lightly sucking at his pressure point on his neck pushed the logic aside. All he wanted, all he needed was for Blaine to never stop what he was doing.

"Blaine, please." Kurt moaned softly as Blaine squeezed his ass. - 190 -

"What is it, baby? Do you want me to stop?" Blaine asked breathily. It didn't matter to Blaine that he was undeniably and painfully hard. All that mattered was that Kurt trusted him and he would never do anything to break that trust.

"What?! God, no!" Kurt said quickly. "Don't ever stop!"

"Please what then?" Blaine asked as he moved his head to look at Kurt. "Tell me what you want." "I want...I want you to touch me." Kurt told him, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Blaine asked him. "I mean, we just talked about all this and I don't you want you to feel pressured into doing anything. This is completely up to you, Kurt. I will go as slow and you need me to."

"I know that, Blaine. I know that you would never pressure me into anything and I know we just had this conversation but...I want this. I'm 100% sure. Just...please, touch me." Kurt said again, a little more desperate then the first time.

Blaine closed the gap between them and kissed Kurt gently as he slowly moved his hands to the front of Kurt's pants. He continued to kiss him as he unbuckled them slowly, making sure to take his time, not wanting to scare Kurt. In a swift but gentle motion, he slid his hand into Kurt's boxer and wrapped his fingers around Kurt's throbbing cock.

"Blaine!" Kurt moaned unashamedly into the kiss.

Blaine started off slow, taking his thumb over the head and spreading the pre-come down Kurt's erection. He started sucking lightly on Kurt's pressure point as he pumped, relishing in the sounds that escaped Kurt's lips. Kurt was unaware of everything around him. The only thing he was conscious of was Blaine and how amazing it was to finally be touched by him. Blaine was so attentive and so loving with his movements that Kurt was sure he was going to lose his mind from the mere pleasure of it all. Envisioning Blaine while he masturbated was nothing compared to the real thing. Blaine sped up his movements as Kurt's breath became more ragged. The sounds that were escaping Kurt brought Blaine close to the edge and he needed to hear more. Without any warning, Blaine moved down and took Kurt's length into his mouth.

"Holy fucking shit! Blaine!" Kurt moaned loudly, throwing his head back and griping the sheets. - 191 -

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Blaine removed Kurt's erection from his mouth, realizing that he hadn't even asked Kurt if it was ok and instantly panicked that it was all too much for Kurt to handle. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that without asking." He said guilty.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kurt asked exasperatedly. "What you shouldn't have done is stop! Please, Blaine!"

Blaine couldn't help but chuckle softly before taking Kurt's length back in his mouth. He bobbed up and down slowly at first, letting Kurt get used to the new sensation. Kurt thrashed beneath him, wanting more, needing more. He subconsciously bucked his hips forward, making Blaine gag in surprise.

"Sorry. Sorry." Kurt said quickly, realizing what he had done.

Blaine only response was to take Kurt's entirely in his mouth. He hummed softly as he reached down for his own erection, needing to release. The moans and pants that Kurt was creating nearly sent him over the edge and he knew that he wouldn't last long. He sped up once more, humming to the rhythm of Kurt's moans; he could tell that Kurt wasn't going to last long either.

"Blaine! Oh my-shit!" Kurt moaned loudly as he felt the new but familiar coil in his abdomen. "Blaine, I'm going to-"

Kurt didn't finish his sentence as he came hard into Blaine's mouth. Blaine took in as much as he could but was distracted by his own orgasm. He continued to blow Kurt as he came into his hands, wanting to make sure that Kurt was completely taken care of. When Kurt stopped writhing beneath him, he released his length with a loud pop. Before the sleepiness he was sure to follow arrived, Blaine crawled out of the bed, and walked into the bathroom to get a towel to clean them off with. Kurt lay motionless as Blaine cleaned off the remaining come, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened. When Blaine was done, he flopped himself down on the bed next to Kurt and Kurt instantly started laughing.

"That was...wow." Kurt said more to himself than to Blaine. "Way, way better than any dream."

"I'll second that." Blaine replied sighing. Blaine turned his head to look at Kurt just as Kurt turned his. "You

ok?"

"I am more than ok. That was...incredible." Kurt said smiling.

"You don't regret it?" Blaine asked him softly.

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"No. I could never regret anything with you. That was perfect, Blaine. You are perfect." Kurt told him lovingly.

"I am far from it, believe me." Blaine said with a light chuckle. "You are to me." Kurt told him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Blaine said as he leaned over to kiss him chastely. "Looks like you didn't need the alcohol after all."

"No, I only needed you." Kurt replied dreamily.

They spent the next hour or so cuddled in bed, whispering sweet something's to each other, only getting up when their stomach's growled with hunger. They then reluctantly got out of bed, changed the clothes that they had originally been wearing, and headed down to the house kitchen to get some food. When they walked in, Wes, Nick, Beatz, and Sebastian were already down there, almost as if they were waiting for them.

"Kurt! I had no idea that you were here." Beatz said, feigning surprise.

"Uh, hi." Kurt replied, surprised by Beatz' enthusiasm. He glanced at the guys, noticing that they were all wearing knowing smirks and it suddenly dawned on him that they probably heard their activities. "What's up?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh, I think you know." Sebastian replied with a wink. "Or rather, it'd be down now, wouldn't it be boys?" "Oh my God!" Blaine mumbled in embarrassment.

"Yep. We heard that too." Nick said laughing.

"You guys are bunch of perverts!" Kurt quipped, ignoring the blush on his face.

"Thin walls, Kurt. Very thin walls." Wes said shrugging.

The guys continued to joke at Kurt and Blaine's expense as they got food to eat. After a little while, they

got bored with the topic and moved on. At one point, Kurt caught Sebastian's gaze and Sebastian smiled - 193 -

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proudly at him. Kurt had blushed and looked away making Sebastian chuckle to himself. The boys spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in the common room, Kurt finally leaving when he absolutely had to in order to make it back by dark. He hadn't expected for everything between him and Blaine to happen but he was happy with himself for it. It connected them on a whole new level and while he was still nowhere near ready for intercourse, they were taking the steps in the right direction and he knew that when it did happen, it would perfect.

The day before New Year's Eve, Kurt and Sebastian decided to spend some quality time together. It was rare for them to hang out without the others around and it was nice being able to spend some time alone. After a short discussion, they decided to watch a White Collar marathon, both equally prepared to swoon over Matt Bomer. Kurt set the popcorn down on the coffee table before taking his place on the opposite side of the couch. As soon as he sat, he stretched his legs out towards Sebastian. Sebastian turned his body slightly, stretching his own legs and intertwining them with Kurt's. Once they were settled, Kurt grabbed the popcorn bowl and set it in the middle between Sebastian and himself.

"Are you ready for some Neal Caffrey perfection?" Kurt asked, his finger hovering over the play button. "So ready." Sebastian replied with a wicked grin. "Oh the things I would do to that man."

Kurt giggled and pressed play. "You and me both."

For the next few hours, Kurt and Sebastian lost themselves in the White Collar world. They laughed at Peter's jokes, they plotted alongside Mozzie, and swooned anytime Neal was on screen, all the while their legs securely intertwined. At one point, Sebastian rested his hand on Kurt's leg just above the knee and subconsciously rubbed small circles. From the outsider's perspective, it would look as though Kurt and Sebastian could be a couple. The level of comfort and trust between them allowed them to be close without ever feeling awkward and they often found themselves in questionable positions because of it.

As Neal put the finishing touches on a painting, Sebastian noticed just how intimate their current position was. He thought back to how Beatz accused him of trying to seduce Kurt away from Blaine. He thought back to how everyone seemed to keep a closer eye on him as his friendship with Kurt blossomed. He thought about Thad and how he sent him questioning glances in the recent weeks. He couldn't blame his friends for jumping to the wrong conclusions. He understood their initial worry. Just because he

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understood, however, didn't mean it didn't bother him. It did bother him, quite a bit actually, and it wasn't until that moment that he realized why.

It wasn't because the Warblers thought the worst nor was it because they were so quick to prosecute him. It was because it affected his friendship with Kurt. Had things gone differently, had Kurt believed that his intentions weren't genuine, he could've lost someone he truly cared for. Sebastian treasured his friendship with Kurt. Other than Thad, Kurt was the only friend that he allowed himself to be truly open with. In a lot of ways, he loved Kurt. He considered himself lucky to have someone like Kurt in his life and the thought that he could've lost him made him cherish their current moment of closeness.

"You know, Blaine would look really good dressed like Neal." Kurt commented, breaking Sebastian's reverie.

"I didn't know you had a role-playing kink, Hummel. I'll be sure to pass that on to Blaine." Sebastian teased, hoping that Kurt wouldn't notice his demeanor.

Kurt turned to glare at Sebastian but stopped when he saw the slightly sullen look on his face. Kurt nudged Sebastian with his foot and sat up a little straighter. "What's wrong with you?"

Sebastian glanced at Kurt for only a moment before shaking his head. "Nothing's wrong." "Bullshit, Bastian." Kurt replied, clearly unconvinced. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

Sebastian looked over at Kurt, a small almost shy smile playing at his lips, and sighed. "It's nothing. I'm just really glad we're friends."

Kurt matched Sebastian's smile before unwrapping their legs and moving over. He settled himself right next to Sebastian and kissed him on the cheek before cuddling against his chest. "I'm really glad we're friends too." Sebastian smiled widely, draping his arm around Kurt's back before kissing the top of Kurt's head. "Now, back to what I was saying. I need to buy Blaine one of those hats. He would look so hot." Sebastian chuckled and nodded in agreement before settling down for another couple of hours with his best friend.

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Happy New Year

It was New Year's Eve night and Kurt couldn't be more excited. It wasn't just the end of the year for him but the beginning of a brighter future. A future at Dalton, a future with his Warbler brothers, and a future with Blaine. With the exception of the last few months, his year had been filled with distress and fear and he was more than determined not to let his demons possess him this time around. As he got ready for Nick's party, he thought back on his year, reflecting on how unhappy he was, how terrified he felt, how hopeless he became. He thought about how sure he had been that his life was over and he felt like he'd never be happy again.

He then thought back to when he first arrived at Dalton and how different it was from the rest of his world. He thought about how quickly the boys and staff accepted him and how Dalton had instantly become his safe haven. He recalled how it was Blaine's smile and sincerity that initially broke through his walls and how worried he had been when he started to allow himself to feel safe again. He thought about how easy it had been to open up to Beatz and how he never made him feel like he was an idiot for being scared. He thought about his first breakdown and how Blaine had been so unbelievably caring throughout the entire ordeal, despite only knowing each other for such a short amount of time. He thought back to his first panic attack his first day of classes and how David asked no questions, but simply held Kurt's hands comfortingly and sang the memory away.

He laughed to himself as he remembered all the food fights he and Jeff had in the house kitchen to then hide from an angry Wes. He thought about his conversations with Sebastian and how grateful he was for the older boy's advice. He had so many good memories and happy occurrences during his few months at Dalton that they easily out-weighed the years of bad ones. In more ways than one, the Warblers had saved him. Hell, they were still saving him and he couldn't think of a better way to bring in the New Year than to share it with his brothers; except maybe sharing it with his New Directions family. He was so grateful to Nick for inviting them to his party and he felt like the luckiest guy in the world having them both in his life.

He dressed in his best outfit from the new clothes he had bought, counting on the fact that Blaine wouldn't be able to keep his eyes (or hands for that matter) off of him. He styled his hair to perfection, he packed his overnight bag with all the necessities, including his new set of skin creams, and he left any and all worries behind as they set out for Nick's house. He was going to start his New Year off right and nothing was going to stop him. Not his fears (which were still there underneath it all), not his doubts, and not Karofsky. This New Year was his year and he was going to make sure that he didn't falter again.

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"Dude, are you sure we're in the right place?" Finn asked him as the pulled up to Nick's massive mansion.

"Um...I think so." Kurt said unsurely.

Kurt knew that Nick's parents were extremely wealthy, both from their jobs and from old money, but he hadn't expected the enormity of their home. Finn parked the car in the long driveway and together they sat for a moment as they took in the vastness of the estate.

"There's gotta be like...100 rooms in there." Finn said in awe. "What do his parents do again?" "They're lawyers." Kurt answered as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"For who? The mob?" Finn asked jokingly, although Kurt could tell that he may actually believe it. "Yeah, probably." Kurt said seriously, to then laugh when Finn's eyes bugged out.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Finn replied rolling his eyes.

They grabbed their bags, got out of the truck, and walked to the front door together. Kurt rang the bell and after a few minutes, a bored looking butler opened the door for them. "Yes?" The butler said to them.

"Hi, we're friends of Nick Duval." Kurt told him, half expecting the man to tell them that they were at the wrong house.

"Follow me, please." The butler replied robotically as he stepped aside to let them in.

They followed the butler into the house, going deeper and deeper in as the passed up several hallways. Kurt tried not to gape at the house, not wanting to be rude, but couldn't help it as they passed up the beautiful paintings on the wall and several antique vases. It looked more like a museum then it did a home. The butler led them to a set of double doors, pushed a buzzer on the side, and then turned his attention back to Kurt and Finn.

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"Please wait here for Master Duval." The butler told them and walked away just as the doorbell rang again. The double doors opened almost immediately after the butler left, revealing Nick and an already buzzed Beatz.

"KURT!" Beatz said overly-excited as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist to lift him off the floor. "I missed you so much!"

"Put me down you ape!" Kurt snapped at him as Beatz swung him around.

"But you're so light! You're like a feather!" Beatz replied as he bounced slightly.

"I swear to God if you don't put me down I'm going to buy you a real mogwai!" Kurt threatened.

Beatz instantly set him down and backed away cautiously, much like a child who had been scolded. "I'm sorry. I was just happy to see you. Please don't buy me a monster."

"Fine, but only if you're good." Kurt said firmly, pointing his index finger at him.

"I will, I promise!" Beatz said quickly before turning around running off.

"Hey, Kurt. Hey Finn. Welcome to Casa de Duval." Nick said smiling. "Most of the Warblers are already here and a few of your New Directions are here too. If you follow me, I'll give you a quick tour of the place."

Finn and Kurt followed Nick in to a massive entertainment room filled with several arcade machines, a huge stereo system, several couches and loungers, a pool table, the biggest TV either boy had ever seen, a stage, and a fully stocked bar where Blaine and David were laughing as they mixed drinks for a few girls.

"Holy crap." Finn said in a daze. "This place is so cool!"

"Thanks, Finn. It's my parents attempt to show they love me." Nick shrugged.

"Where are your parents?" Kurt asked him curiously as he continued to glance over at Blaine who had yet to notice that he arrived.

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"On the opposite side of the house having their own party. My dad will make an appearance once everyone arrives." Nick told him. "Now, the bathrooms are that way and the rooms are on the hallway to the right. Let me take your things to the closet."

"Thanks, Nick." Kurt told him smiling as he took his coat off and handed it to him.

He walked over to the bar as Finn walked over to where Mike, Tina, Artie, Puck, and Rachel were huddled together. Just as he reached the bar, Blaine looked up at him and smiled broadly at the sight of his boyfriend. Blaine handed David the drink he had mixing and quickly walked over to Kurt.

"Hey!" Blaine said excitedly as he pulled Kurt in for a hug.

"Hey, yourself." Kurt replied happily. "You look amazing." He said appreciatively as he took in Blaine's outfit. He was wearing fitting black slacks and a button up black shirt, making him look both incredibly sexy and a little dangerous.

"Thanks. You look...really sexy." Blaine replied as his eyes hungrily took in Kurt's body. In contrast to Blaine's black ensemble, Kurt was wearing white super skinny jeans, a fitting white button up shirt with silver chains, and a pair of white calf high boots.

"Well, thank you." Kurt replied cheekily before leaning over to kiss him.

"Mm." Blaine moaned softly into the kiss, instantly placing his hands just above Kurt's ass. "Leave it for the room boys!" Beatz yelled out to them.

"Mogwai, Beatz!" Kurt yelled back, making Beatz shut up immediately.

"You know about that?" Blaine asked him laughing.

"Yeah, he told me. Best blackmail ever." Kurt replied laughing.

Within the next ten minutes, the rest of the guests arrived, prompting Nick to call his dad. As they were waiting, Puck, Santana, and Mercedes approached Kurt and Blaine who were sitting cuddled up on one of

the lounges.

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"Hey guys." Kurt greeted them smiling.

"Hey, boo. We need to have a word with Blaine. Well, they do. I'm just here so they don't kill him." Mercedes said laughing.

"Um...ok..." Blaine said with a nervous chuckle as he unwrapped himself from Kurt's grasp.

"Be nice." Kurt told them shaking his head as they walked away with Blaine.

He knew they were giving him the" If you break Kurt's heart we'll break your skull" speech and he couldn't help but smile fondly at how protective they were being. He knew they still felt bad for not coming to his rescue at McKinley and while at the time he hated it, he was glad for it now. Had things not gotten as bad as they did, he never would've transferred to Dalton and that was his silver lining.

"Hey." Sebastian said as he sat next to Kurt. "You know your friends are interrogating Blaine right?" "Yeah, I know." Kurt said with a small laugh. "What's up?" he asked, nodding over at Thad.

"Right now, nothing. Between the alcohol that gets consumed tonight and Beatz' big mouth, I'm sure that will change." Sebastian told him shrugging as he took a sip from his drink.

"Are you going to be ok?" Kurt asked him curiously.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's time it gets all out in the open anyway." Sebastian replied.

"I agree." Kurt nodded laughing just as Blaine came back.

"Oh, please, please don't leave me alone with Santana again!" Blaine said as he squeezed in between Sebastian and his boyfriend. "She scares me."

"Santana, stop scaring my boyfriend!" Kurt called out to her. "Man up, hobbit!" Santana called back out.

"What did she say to you?" Kurt asked him curiously.

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"It's not so much what she said as it is how she said it." Blaine told him seriously. "She's uh...she's scary." "Yes, she is." Kurt said laughing.

"Listen up everyone." Nick yelled out from the front of the room. "My dad would like to set some ground rules so pay attention."

Nick's father walked over from the door to stand next to Nick, looking both bored and slightly intoxicated, as he laid out the rules for the party.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Duval home. I'm sure my son appreciates you all for coming. As Nickolas has just told you, there are some rules that must be followed. If they are broken, we will call your parents and send you home. Rule number 1: No fighting. Rule number 2: No drugs. Rule number 3: Stay inside the house. That's basically it. We are well aware that you will be drinking and we'd rather you do it safely here then get in trouble somewhere else. Don't make us regret this decision. Have fun and be safe. Oh and girls, try not to get pregnant." With that, Mr. Duval turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Nick's dad is uh...interesting." Kurt commented quietly.

"That's one way to put it." Sebastian snorted as he got up to get himself another drink.

Blaine scooted over slightly and immediately started kissing Kurt's neck gently. "Do you want a drink?" he asked in between kisses.

"Sure. Nothing too strong please." Kurt replied, sighing contently.

"Coming right up." Blaine replied smiling before getting up to walk over to the bar.

By the time Blaine got back to Kurt, the room livened up significantly. The music was playing loudly, everyone had started to drink, and the TV was on with the local New Year's Eve program. While at first the New Directions and The Warblers kept their distance from each other, once the alcohol started to flow, the groups began blending together. There were a few Warbler boys playing pool against Finn and Puck, Artie was playing an arcade game with Trent, Sebastian (who was no longer sober) was openly flirting with Thad who was flirting back, Rachel was singing along to the song currently playing as she danced on the stage, Mike and Brittany were having a dance off with two Warbler boys, Jeff and Nick were taking turns

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doing body shots off of Quinn, a group of Warblers were playing strip poker with their girlfriends, and everyone else was either talking in groups or dancing along to the music.

Blaine and Kurt stayed sitting on the lounger for a while, slowly drinking so they didn't get wasted, and watched their friends make fools of themselves. At one point, Single Ladies came on so Tina and Brittany tore Kurt away from Blaine so they could do the dance together. Finn, Puck, and Mike ended up joining in the dance, making the room laugh as they attempted to be sexy. By the time the song ended, Blaine had joined in, laughing hysterically as Kurt tried showing him the dance moves. Kurt had a carefree smile plastered on his face as he continued to dance with the girls and Blaine was thrilled to see his boyfriend having such a good time.

As the night went on and the drunkenness increased, Beatz suggested that they played spin-the-bottle which most of everybody agreed to. They sat in the circle, spinning the empty beer bottle, and sharing kisses with whomever it landed on, not caring about who it was. When it was Sebastian turn, Beatz broke out into laughter and prayed that it would land on Thad. Sure enough it had but instead of Sebastian being worried, he was elated. He was drunk enough not to care but not so drunk that he wouldn't remember what happened that next day. Thad became extremely shy as he crawled across the circle to meet Sebastian, especially since Sebastian was looking at him like he wanted to eat him alive. As soon as they kissed, the Warbler boys hooted and hollered, making both boys blush from the sudden attention.

When Thad pulled away, he quickly retreated to his spot to spin the bottle again, which landed on Nick. His kiss with Nick was a short peck and as soon as it was done, he got from the group and walked away, looking back at Sebastian as if to call to him. Sebastian took the hint and followed him instantly. Nick ended kissing Jeff, who kissed Quinn, who then kissed Rachel. Finn sat there in awe as his current girlfriend and ex-girlfriend made out briefly, both turned on and weirded out by it. Once they were done playing spin-the-bottle, many of them returned to dancing or laughing together in small groups. Sebastian and Thad had disappeared, along with Jeff and Quinn, Trent and a fellow Warbler Danny, Nick and his girlfriend Harmony, and Finn and Rachel. Santana and Brittany took to making out on the couch which resulted in several of the boys watching them while Beatz recorded everything with his phone.

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\- 202 -

Before they knew it, it was barely minutes to midnight and with the exception of Kurt, Blaine, and a few others, the rest of the group was completely wasted. As the clock ticked closer to midnight, everyone started to pair off for their New Year's kiss.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6." The group started to count. Blaine and Kurt were already facing each other, smiling lovingly as their friends continued counting. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!" Kurt and Blaine kissed passionately, putting all of their love, hope, and desires into it.

The room erupted into pure chaos as they wished each other a Happy New Year. Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him away from the crowd towards the bedrooms. He had specifically asked Nick to use the last bedroom that had the bay window, knowing that the sun would rise on that side. They heard Beatz, David, Santana, and Puck holler out profanities at them as they walked away, laughing along with those who heard them. As they walked over to the room, the sound of music and laughter began to die down. Kurt was certain that he heard the moans of Jeff and Quinn in one of the rooms and Blaine was certain that he heard the same from Sebastian and Thad.

"We have some very bad friends." Kurt said laughing as they reached their door.

"We have some very drunk friends." Blaine corrected as he opened the door.

"Oh my." Kurt said in awe as he walked into the room.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Blaine asked as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. "I was hoping we could stay on the rest of the night and leave those crazies to their nonsense."

"I think that sounds like a great idea." Kurt replied as he leaned forward to kiss Blaine chastely.

They spent the next ten minutes getting ready for bed, neither one mentioning their nerves. They weren't exactly planning on doing anything other than cuddling but with their relationships most recent development, they weren't entirely sure if they would simply cuddle or not. Once they were dressed in the pajamas and completely ready for bed, they laid down together, facing each other, and instantly began to kiss tenderly.

"God, I love you." Blaine whispered against Kurt's lips.

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"I love you too." Kurt whispered back as they parted. "You haven't told me your New Year's resolution yet."

"It's to be happy, healthy, and not let my inner demons win. It's the same every year." Blaine told him as he lightly caressed Kurt's arm. "What about yours?"

"It's to not be afraid anymore." Kurt replied softly. "I'll go ahead and add being happy and healthy to that too."

"Are you still afraid?" Blaine asked him curiously.

"Yes and no. I mean, a part of me is still terrified of seeing Karofsky again but I think it's more of a physical fear as opposed to a sexual fear, you know? Like, I'm not scared of him sexually assaulting me because I don't think he'll ever have the opportunity to, but he could always beat the shit out of me if we cross paths." Kurt told him quietly.

"He won't hurt you again, I promise." Blaine told him seriously.

"Thanks." Kurt replied with a small smile. "Can we not spend the rest of the night talking about this and go back to kissing?"

"Absolutely." Blaine replied before leaning forward to kiss him.

Their kisses started of slow, sweet, and tender, but quickly intensified as the need for more kicked in. Kurt was the first to make a move. He slowly slid his hand through the elastic of Blaine's pants and wrapped his fingers around Blaine's half-hard.

"Mm, Kurt." Blaine moaned into the kiss. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"Shh." Kurt replied as he started to lightly suck on Blaine's neck. "I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't want to, ok?"

Blaine nodded slowly as he allowed Kurt to push him on his back. Kurt stroked Blaine's now hard cock diligently, relishing in the sounds that were escaping Blaine. He had never been more turned on in his entire life and suddenly the thought of Blaine's cock in his mouth was too good to pass up. Admittedly, he was a little scared to do it, especially since he had done it so many times to Karofsky. But this was Blaine,

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and Blaine deserved to feel as good as he made Kurt feel just a few days before. He began to lower his body but stopped when Blaine grabbed his arm.

"Wait." Blaine said breathily. "You don't have to do this. You don't owe me anything."

"Blaine, I'm not doing this because I owe you. I'm doing this because I love you and I want to make you feel good. You're everything to me, please let me." Kurt said softly.

Blaine knew that it would be hard for Kurt to do this and he was worried that it would be too much too fast, but he also knew that it was something Kurt needed to do himself in order to move forward. "If you can't do it or you need to stop-"

"I know." Kurt said nodding before continuing his way down.

Kurt pulled Blaine's pants and boxers and took a good look at Blaine's throbbing erection. Yes, he was scared and yes, he was worried, but that didn't stop him from taking Blaine's entire length into his mouth.

"Oh Kurt!" Blaine moaned, throwing his head back and griping the sheets.

Kurt bobbed up and down fervently, enjoying the way that Blaine was writhing beneath him. This was nothing compared to what he had experienced with Karofsky. He had the power here and it was absolutely exhilarating. He hummed as he quickened his pace, wanting nothing more than to taste Blaine. That bit terrified him but he refused to let the fear win. He needed to do this. He needed to taste Blaine in order to wipe the bad memory away.

"Shit! Kurt!" Blaine groaned as he forced his hips not to buck forward. Kurt continued sucking Blaine off, hollowing his cheeks and running his tongue on the underside of Blaine's cock. "Kurt, close." Blaine warned him.

Kurt closed his eyes tight as he prepared for what was to come. He wanted to stop, he wanted to back away and let Blaine come in his hands; he needed to stay though so he did. A few more bobs and Blaine was coming hard into Kurt's mouth. Kurt winced in that first instant as the memory of Karofsky danced at the edge of his mind, but then he tasted Blaine and Blaine tasted extraordinary. He didn't gag and he didn't get nauseas. He did, however, swallow every single drop of Blaine, proud of himself that he had actually done it. He released Blaine's cock as it became flaccid, scooted himself back up, and attached his lips to Blaine's. Blaine could taste himself in Kurt's mouth, finding it oddly erotic, and pulled Kurt closer to him as

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they kissed passionately. Blaine felt Kurt's erection, realizing that Kurt had yet to release himself. Without any warning, he pushed Kurt to lie back and pulled Kurt's cock out his pajama pants.

"Blaine." Kurt moaned unashamedly.

Blaine only stroked a few times before lowering himself to blow Kurt. It didn't take long for Kurt to come since he had already been so close and unlike the first time, Blaine was ready to swallow Kurt's juices as he came. Just like Kurt had done, Blaine quickly attached his lips to Kurt's and stuck his tongue in so that Kurt could taste himself.

"Mm." Kurt moaned into the kiss.

They spent the next hour or so making out heavily, both too exhilarated to stop. There was nothing as pure and as beautiful as the love they had for each other; this was something they had both needed. They needed to love and be loved, they needed to experience what true passion was, and they needed each other. They were each other's strength and each other's rock and as the year progresses, they would be needing each other more than ever.

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

Big Brother

When Blaine woke up just before dawn, he couldn't control the smile on his face. It was the first New Year's Day in years that he had no worries, no sadness, and no regrets. Instead he was happy, safe, proud, and completely in love. Every New Year needs to start off like this. He nuzzled his nose into the back of Kurt's neck, breathing deeply, and smiling contently as his boyfriend's scent filled his lungs. Kurt was nothing but absolute perfection to him. Whatever flaws Kurt had meant nothing to him. He loved Kurt with his everything and nothing would be able to keep him away.

"Kurt." Blaine said softly. "Baby, wake up."

"Why." Kurt mumbled.

"It's almost dawn." Blaine informed him as he made his way to get up. "No, stay." Kurt replied, strengthening his hold on Blaine's arm. "Kurt, you promised." Blaine said with a small chuckle.

Kurt sighed in defeat as he loosened his hold on Blaine's arm. Blaine quickly got up, walked over to the bay window, and opened the blinds before the sun rose. He ran back to the bed just as Kurt was sitting up and snuggled in-between Kurt's legs.

"I really do love how romantic you are, but I am so tired." Kurt said as he yawned.

"We can go back to sleep after, I promise." Blaine replied with a goofy smile.

Within the next few minutes, the sun began to rise over the horizon. The window had a clear view of the backyard, which was covered in snow, and even though he was sleepy, Kurt couldn't deny that the scene was indeed very beautiful. Blaine snuggled closer to Kurt as Kurt wrapped one arm tightly around him, running his fingers through Blaine's curls with his other hand. They sat their quietly as the sun rose, both reveling in pure happiness.

"Happy New Year's, Blaine." Kurt whispered against Blaine's temple before kissing it lightly. - 207 -

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"Happy New Year's, Kurt." Blaine replied, sighing contently.

"Can we go back to sleep now?" Kurt asked with a yawn.

"Yeah, yeah." Blaine said smirking as he untangled himself from Kurt's hold.

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Blaine walked back over to the window, closed the drapes, yawned as he walked back to the bed, and laid down facing Kurt. They both leaned in at the same time and kissed softly for a few minutes before settling back down to go to sleep, this time Blaine being the little spoon. It was usually Blaine who held Kurt both lovingly and protectively, but every once in a while, when Kurt's love for Blaine grew tenfold within a moment, Kurt liked to be the one to hold him. It amazed Kurt sometimes how his love for Blaine continued to grow with each passing moment but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Blaine and Kurt slept soundly for the next few hours, only waking up again because Blaine's cell phone rang. He had no idea who would be calling him so early considering all of his friends were there at Nick's, and he couldn't help but worry a little when he saw that it was his grandmother.

"Morning, Grams." Blaine said when he answered the phone. "Happy New Year." He told her, ignoring the tense bubble in the pit of his stomach.

"Morning, Blainey. Happy New Year." She said softly and Blaine could tell that something was off. "I'm sorry for calling you so early."

"It's ok, Grams. Is everything alright?" he asked her curiously as he sat up in the bed.

"Yes, everything's fine. Listen, I know you had plans on heading back to Dalton, but could you come home for the remainder of the holiday?" she asked him hopefully. That was one of the many things Blaine loved about his grandmother. She never told him what he needed to but simply asked him to do it. It was a trait his father did not possess.

"Sure, Grams. I can come home." He told her, glancing at Kurt who was looking at him curiously. "Are you sure everything's ok?"

\- 208 -

"Yes, honey, I'm sure. We-I just need you to come home for the week, that's all." She told him quietly. Blaine didn't miss the slip-up but didn't question her. Part of him feared that father was there but another part knew that his grandmother would never subject him to any kind of abuse.

"Ok. I'll be over in a little while." Blaine told her a little reluctantly before hanging up the phone. "Is everything ok?" Kurt asked him with concern.

"Um, I think so?" Blaine said unsurely. "She wants me to go home for the week."

"How come?" Kurt wondered. He could tell that Blaine wasn't exactly thrilled about it but didn't know why. From what he knew, Blaine had a good relationship with his grandmother so he didn't understand the reluctance.

"I don't know. She just said she needed me." Blaine shrugged. "I'm sure everything's fine." He said with a small smile, although he didn't exactly believe it.

"Ok. If you need me, I'm here. I know it's always you taking care of me but I can take care of you too, you know." Kurt told him as he wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist.

"I know." Blaine replied adoringly before kissing Kurt softly on the cheek.

Blaine and Kurt got dressed for the day and gathered their things before leaving the comfort of the room. As they walked down the hallway, Jeff and Quinn walked out of one of the rooms, Jeff's arm around Quinn's shoulder while she held his waist tightly. Jeff smiled both proudly and mischievously at Blaine while Quinn blushed slightly under Kurt's questioning gaze.

"Good morning." Kurt said to them smirking.

"Great morning." Jeff replied, glancing sideways at Quinn.

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" Quinn asked him scowling. "Nope." Jeff replied laughing.

"Jerk." Quinn replied rolling her eyes as she unraveled herself from him and made her way down the hall. - 209 -

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"That's not what you said last night." Jeff called out to her. "Or this morning for that matter."

Quinn stopped abruptly, turned around quickly, and walked back over to Jeff. She then grabbed him by the collar, pulled him towards her roughly, and kissed him hard in front of Blaine and Kurt. Kurt and Blaine glanced at each other in shock as Quinn continued her attack on Jeff.

"Let's not forget who the boss is, Jeffery. " She said seductively right as she parted. "Yes, ma'am." Jeff replied in a slight daze.

"Good." She replied as she let go of his collar and walked off.

"What the hell was that?" Kurt asked both amused and bemused.

"That was the best night of my life." Jeff replied, sighing contently as he watched Quinn walk away.

"I don't want to know." Kurt said shaking his head and walked off.

When they entered the main room, most of the Warblers and New Directions were still passed out in various places on the floor while the few that were awake were surrounding the bar as Nick and Harmony served them coffee. Blaine opted out of a cup, too anxious for caffeine, kissed Kurt goodbye, and left for his grandmother's. Kurt, who was still trying to wake up fully, didn't notice the sullen Sebastian until he was halfway through his cup of coffee. He walked over to where he was sitting and nudged his leg to get his attention.

"Hey." Sebastian said, glancing up at Kurt for only a moment before staring at his coffee cup again.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Kurt asked him softly. Sebastian merely shrugged in response. "Bastian, what is it?" Kurt glanced around for a minute and noticed that Thad was nowhere in sight. "Where's Thad."

"He left." Sebastian said quietly before taking a sip from his coffee. "Did something happen?" Kurt asked him with concern.

"Oh, a lot of something's happened." Sebastian replied matter-of-factly. "And then he woke up, freaked out,

and left."

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"Oh, Bastian." Kurt said comfortingly.

"Forget it. I'm going home." Sebastian said in frustration before setting his cup down and stormed off.

Kurt sighed sadly as Sebastian left, feeling bad that his night had not been a good one. He knew how much he cared for Thad and he hoped that they would be able to worth through whatever it was that happened between them. He conversed with those who were awake as he finished his coffee, noticing that Quinn and Jeff were practically joined at the hip. Once he finished his coffee and felt fully functional, he walked over to where Finn and Rachel were sleeping, and woke them up, informing Finn that they needed to get home. After a short struggle and some bribing, he finally got Finn to wake up. They said their goodbye's to their friends, thanked Nick for having them, and headed home.

Blaine was a ball of nerves the entire drive home. He blasted his car radio, singing along loudly to every song that came on as he tried to keep himself calm. He found himself fidgeting with the seam of his shirt anytime he was a stop light and chastised every time he did it. It was the first sign of his emotions getting the better of him. Just breath, everything's fine. There's no need to panic. So what if she said we. That doesn't mean he's there. Even if he is, Gram's won't let him hurt me. She wouldn't. Why would he be there anyway? It's not like he's been around for the past two years. I'm freaking out over nothing. Everything's fine. God, I miss Kurt. I wish he was here. He has no idea how much his presence calms me down. Get it together, Anderson. Everything's going to be fine. As Blaine turned onto his street, his heartbeat increased. Despite knowing that his grandmother wouldn't let his father hurt him, verbally or physically, it made him sick to his stomach even thinking that he might see him. His throat constricted slightly as his grandmother's house came into view. He prayed to whoever was listening that his father wasn't there.

When he pulled into the driveway, he noticed an unfamiliar car. It was too flashy for either of his parents to drive and he highly doubted that his grandmother traded up her old one. He parked behind the black corvette, turned off his car, and sat there for a moment. He contemplated calling Kurt but he knew that he would be able to sense that something was wrong and he didn't want to worry him. He opted for a quick text instead.

Hey beautiful. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I miss you. xoxo – Blaine

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\- 211 -

Blaine waited patiently for a reply, eager to have some kind of presence of Kurt before going inside. After a few minutes, his phone buzzed in his hands.

Hey handsome. I love you and I miss you too. Are you home already? xoxo – Kurt

Yeah, I just got here. I'm still sitting in my car. – Blaine

As soon as Blaine sent the message, he regretted it. He knew Kurt would figure out that there was something wrong and the last thing he wanted was to worry him. Sure enough, his phone rang not but a minute later.

"Hey!" Blaine said a little too cheerily.

"Blaine? What's wrong?" Kurt asked concern evident in his voice. "Nothing." Blaine replied quickly.

"Then why are you still sitting in your car?" Kurt asked him curiously.

"I just...someone's here. I don't know who but there's a car in the driveway I don't recognize and I guess...I guess I'm just anxious." Blaine admitted quietly as he once again began fidgeting with the seam of his shirt. "I'm just being silly, don't mind me."

"Blaine, you are not being silly." Kurt said firmly. "What's really going on? You know you can tell me." Blaine stammered for a moment, unsure of what he was supposed to say. He was supposed to be the strong one for Kurt, not the other way around. He was supposed to be the one that comforted and consoled his boyfriend. He was supposed to be doing better. He shouldn't be feeling this way. "Blaine, please. Tell me what's wrong?"

"...what if it's my dad?" Blaine finally said just above a whisper.

"Then...then tell him to fuck off." Kurt said seriously. "If it's him and he starts any crap with you then tell him to fuck off and you drive straight here. Don't let him get to you. You're stronger than that." Blaine couldn't help but smile fondly at Kurt's advice. It warmed his heart that Kurt believed in him.

"Ok." Blaine replied sighing. "I better get in there and see what's going on." - 212 -

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"Call me when you can and let me know that you're ok." Kurt said firmly.

"I will. Thanks for talking to me. I love you." Blaine said as he reached over to the passenger side to grab his bag.

"Of course, that's why I'm here. I love you, too." Kurt replied softly.

Blaine hung up with Kurt, took a deep breath, and got out of his car. He walked up the walkway cautiously, noticing that his grandmother was waiting for him by the door. She didn't have the hatred expression she usually wore when it came to his father, but he could tell that she was still apprehensive.

"Hey, Grams." Blaine greeted as she opened the door to let him in.

"Hey, Blainey." She replied softly as closed the front door, then turning around to hug him. "How was the drive? The roads weren't too bad were they?"

"Naw. The drive was fine." Blaine replied as he backed away from the hug. "Whose car is that is outside?" Might as well get straight to the point. His grandmother shifted slightly as she glanced behind him. Blaine turned around to see who was there, his jaw dropping in shock when he saw that it was his brother. "Cooper?"

"Hey, baby bro." Cooper replied cautiously. "Long time no see."

Blaine stood there for a moment longer as the initial shock of seeing his brother for the first time in seven years. Cooper had spent those last seven years of his life in Egypt with an archeology team digging up old paintings. He was a journalist by trade but traveled with the group for research for his book. The last time Blaine had spoken to him was right before he came out to him parents and had never had the chance to talk to him again.

Cooper didn't know anything. He didn't know that Blaine was gay (at least, not officially), he didn't know about the bullying, he didn't know about what their parents did, and he didn't know about the cutting. All he knew was what their grandmother had told him which was that Blaine was no longer accepted in his home and that he now lived with her. Blaine crossed the space between them and threw his arms around Cooper's neck, not even attempting to stop the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

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"Hey, it's ok. I'm here now. There's no need to cry." Cooper comforted. Blaine's only response was to hug him tighter. Cooper glanced up at their grandmother, his heart breaking as his little brother continued to cry on his shoulder.

"I'll let you two talk." She said quietly before disappearing into the kitchen. She hadn't told Cooper the details of what happened, knowing that Blaine would want to do it. She also knew that Cooper would accept Blaine for who he was, no matter what. Her only fear was that Cooper would try and confront their father.

"I can't believe you're here. I missed you so much." Blaine said quietly as he parted from the embrace.

"I missed you too, Blaine. More than you know." Cooper replied softly as he wiped Blaine's tears. "Here you are, practically a grown man and I'm still wiping your tears away." He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Blaine laughed lightly as he playfully shoved Cooper. "I guess some things never change."

"And some things do." Cooper said sadly. "Come on, we have a lot to talk about."

Blaine and Cooper sat in the living room quietly for a few minutes, neither one knowing where to start. Cooper took the opportunity to get a good look at Blaine, noticing the scars on his wrists. He didn't say anything about it but his blood boiled at the thought of what could've possibly driven his intelligent, strong little brother to such drastic measures.

"So, tell me what's been going on. How have you been?" Cooper asked him curiously.

"I've been...I've been good actually. Things have been really great for a while now." Blaine replied honestly.

"Yeah? Good. You've grown up to be one good looking man. You got yourself a girlfriend?" Cooper asked him casually.

"Uh...no. No, girlfriend." Blaine replied, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Boyfriend then?" Cooper asked with a small smile.

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"Y-yeah." Blaine replied, surprised by Cooper's question. "How...how did you know that I'm gay?"

"Are you kidding me? I've known since you were five when you married Batman and Robin." Cooper teased.

"I can't believe you remember that." Blaine said with a small chuckle. "So, what's his name? Tell me about him." Cooper replied smiling.

"Well, his name is Kurt and he's...amazing, absolutely amazing. I'm...completely in love with him." Blaine said fondly.

"Awe, Blaine's in love." Cooper said, nudging Blain playfully. "I'm going to have to meet this amazing Kurt."

"I'd really love that." Blaine replied with a small smile. Blaine never really doubted that Cooper would accept him but the uncertainty had always been there. The fact that Cooper wanted to meet Kurt sent Blaine's heart soaring. He couldn't help but think about how his parents would never be as accepting though and it ripped his heart apart. He suddenly let out a pained sob, prompting Cooper to embrace him. "It was horrible, Cooper. They...they completely cut me out of their lives. Mom wouldn't even look at me and when she did you could just see the disgust in her eyes. And Dad..." Blaine began crying harder, unable to find the words.

"Shh. It's ok. You're ok." Cooper shushed him comfortingly, waiting patiently for Blaine to keep going.

"T-the th-things, h-he said t-to me...I-I've n-never felt so ashamed a-at myself." Blaine said brokenly.

"Oh, Blaine." Cooper cooed. "You listen to me right now. Nothing he said is true. Do you hear me? There is nothing wrong with you. Don't you ever be anything but proud of whom you are." He said firmly. He knew that he parents could be stubborn and old-fashioned but he couldn't fathom how they could treat Blaine so badly.

"It was so hard, Cooper. I kept thinking that I should just kill myself a-and save them the hassle o-of having a f-faggot son." Blaine admitted guiltily.

Cooper backed away from the embrace abruptly and looked at Blaine intently. "Don't ever think like that. Not ever. You are too incredible to even contemplate doing that. God! I can't believe they did this to you."

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he said angrily. "You know what, it doesn't matter. I'm here now and I am not leaving anytime soon. Whatever you need, I'm here for you; so is Grams. You are not alone in this Blaine, not anymore."

"I know." Blaine nodded as he tried to calm himself down. "I never actually tried to kill myself, I just thought about it."

"Yeah, well even just thinking about it is wrong." Cooper replied firmly. "And you may not have tried but you sure hell hurt yourself." He said as he gingerly grabbed Blaine's wrists. "Listen, we have plenty of time to catch up, we don't need to delve into this right now. Why don't you go take a shower, we'll have some breakfast, and then we can talk about whatever it is that you want. I'm not going anywhere, ok?"

Blaine nodded and wiped his tears away. "Thanks, Cooper." He said sniffling.

"No need to thank me. I'm your big brother. It's my job to look out for you." Cooper replied sincerely. "Now go shower. You reek of alcohol." He said teasingly.

Blaine chuckled softly and nodded as he got up from the couch. He started walking out of the living room only to turn around quickly and walk back to Cooper. He threw his arms around Cooper's neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm glad you're back, Cooper. I really missed you."

"I missed you too, baby bro. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." Cooper replied as he hugged Blaine back tightly. Blaine let out a sigh of relief as he let go of the embrace, smiled fondly at his brother, and walked towards the stairs.

Cooper waited until Blaine was at least halfway up the stairs before standing up and walking over to the kitchen. He walked directly past his grandmother and out the back door, not caring how cold it was without his coat. He paced the back patio angrily for only a few minutes before their grandmother walked out to him.

"Cooper?" she called out quietly.

"How could they do that? How could treat him like that?" he snapped at her. "I don't know." She replied sadly.

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"He thought about killing himself, Grams! He cut for Christ's sake! What the hell happened when I was gone? How could they just treat him like he's worthless? He's their son!" Cooper nearly shouted.

"I know, Cooper. Trust me, I know." She replied, tears welling up in her eyes as she recalled the day she found Blaine cutting.

"They are so lucky that they're in Europe right now." Cooper said through gritted teeth.

"Come on, come inside. It's freezing out here and you can't be there for your brother if you catch

pneumonia and die." The old woman replied with a small smile.

Copper chuckled softly for only a moment before starting to cry. Their grandmother walked over to him, pulled him into a hug, and shushed him comfortingly just like he had done with Blaine not but a few minutes before. "I should've been here for him. I should've known how they would react when he eventually came out."

"No one could've truly known how bad it really got, sweetheart. The important thing is that you're here now." Their grandmother said softly. "Come on. I'll put some coffee on and you can help me with breakfast." Cooper nodded and wiped his tears away as he followed her back into the house.

Once Blaine was upstairs in his room, he pulled his cell phone out and text Kurt that he was fine. He told him that his brother was back in town so he would most likely be busy the rest of the week but to not worry about him because he was in good hands. He then took a quick shower, dressed himself in his Dalton sweats, and walked back downstairs to spend time with Cooper and their grandmother. He still felt anxious and nervous despite the fact that Cooper accepted him. He knew he would have to tell Cooper everything. He knew he would have to lay it completely out there for him, detail by detail and he couldn't help but dread it. He hadn't told the full story to anyone but their grandmother and he knew he would be in for an emotional day.

He ended up telling Cooper the short story for the time being, not wanting to open up too many wounds too quickly. He told him how he came out when he was 12 and how it instantly changed everything with his parents. He told him that he had started cutting just a few months after coming out because he didn't know how to deal with all the hatred in his life. Between getting the crap beat out of him at school and

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their father's words, he became completely and hopelessly lost. He told him how it was their grandmother that found him crying, huddled in a corner, his arms covered in blood. Their grandmother then told him how within a week, she got Blaine moved in with her and got him transferred to Dalton where he was able to heal.

Blaine then talked about the school and the Warblers and how they helped him come back to himself. He lastly told him about Kurt and their relationship, informing him that all the while he was helping Kurt, Kurt was inadvertently helping him. The day was filled with tears, laughter, and support and by the end of the night, Blaine was absolutely exhausted. He fell asleep almost instantly only to be woken up abruptly in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. He hadn't had any nightmares in a really long time but opening up to Cooper had been too much for his mind to handle. Just like when they were younger, Blaine crawled into bed with Cooper when he couldn't go back to sleep. Just like when they were kids and he had a nightmare about some monster, Cooper sang him to sleep, promising him that he would do everything in his power to make his monsters disappear.

That final week of break had been a stressful one for Kurt. He was worried about Blaine and he missed his friends terribly. He hadn't talked to Blaine much throughout that week since he was busy with Cooper but Kurt knew Blaine needed him. He could hear it in his voice anytime they spoke on the phone. He didn't know much about Cooper since Blaine rarely spoke of him so he really wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to his return. Blaine had assured him that he was ok but he couldn't help but worry. Needless to say, he was more than ready that Saturday before school started to head back to Dalton.

Kurt got there relatively early, wanting to make sure that he was there before Blaine arrived. It was just after lunch time when his dad pulled into the school. He said his goodbye to his dad, grabbed his things, including Pavarotti, and quickly entered the building. He knew Blaine wasn't there yet but he needed to be sure so he ran straight to their dorm without stopping anywhere else. The room of course had been empty so he set Pavarotti's cage down, put the things he brought away, and walked over to the common room where Sebastian, Nick, and Jeff were talking in hushed voiced.

"Hey, guys." Kurt greeted as he took a seat.

"Hey, Kurt. Welcome back." Jeff replied smiling brightly.

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"Thanks." Kurt replied sighing. "Hey, you ok?" he asked Sebastian who barely acknowledged his presence.

"I'm fine." Sebastian replied flatly before getting up and walking off.

"What's wrong with him?" Kurt asked Jeff and Nick.

"Thad won't talk to him." Nick said rolling his eyes. "Bastian's tried to call him all week but Thad just keeps ignoring him."

"What? Why?" Kurt asked curiously.

"Because he's freaking out about what happened on New Year's. He seems to think that Bastian's going to hate him or something. I keep telling him that it's going to be fine but he won't believe me." Nick said with a heavy sigh. "He gets back tomorrow so we'll see how that works out."

"Poor Bastian. He probably thinks that Thad hates him too." Kurt said sadly.

"He does. He also thinks that Thad is disgusted in what happened between them which really isn't the case. They just need to get locked in a room together and talk all their shit out." Jeff said seriously.

"They are roommates, they'll talk eventually." Nick said shrugging.

"Hey, speaking of New Year's, you want to tell me what all that with Quinn was about." Kurt said to Jeff,

quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, Quinn. My beautiful, amazing, perfect Quinn." Jeff said sighing contently.

"Your Quinn? Are you guys dating now?" Kurt asked surprised.

"Not yet, but we are well on our way. She was over at my house every day this week and let's just say that we had a really good time." Jeff said mischievously.

"You're kidding?" Kurt asked, his eyes wide.

\- 219 -

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"Yeah, I'm kidding." Jeff said laughing. "Well, I'm kind of kidding. We're not sleeping together, but we are fooling around. We've also talked quite a bit too. That girl is just...she's perfect and I will gladly wait for to be ready for a boyfriend."

"Wow. Ok, then." Kurt replied laughing.

Kurt spent most of his afternoon with Jeff and Nick in the common room as he waited for Blaine to show up. When Blaine text him that he was there, the three of them walked to the front to meet him; Kurt eager to see him while Jeff and Nick were curious about Cooper. Just as they rounded the corner, Blaine and Cooper walked through the doors. Blaine immediately noticed Kurt, quickly walking over to him, and ignoring the laugh that came from Cooper. Neither Blaine nor Kurt said anything when they embraced each other. The simply held each other tightly, both inhaling each other's scent. After a few minutes, Kurt finally backed away from the hug.

"Hey. Someone sure did miss me." He said teasingly.

"You have no idea." Blaine replied chuckling before leaning in and kissing him tenderly. Cooper cleared his throat to get Blaine's attention, smirking at how smitten Blaine was.

"Are you going to keep sucking face or are you going to introduce us, Blaine." Cooper said laughing.

"Sorry." Blaine said blushing. "Cooper, this is my boyfriend Kurt, and this is Jeff and Nick, two of my friends and fellow Warblers. Guys, this is my older brother, Cooper."

"It's nice to meet you guys. Blaine's spoken very highly of you. It's nice to put faces to names." Cooper said charmingly as he shook the boys' hands, stopping at Kurt. "And you, you are already my favorite person in the world simply for making him happy."

"Cooper." Blaine whined rolling his eyes.

"What? I'm being serious." Cooper said a little defensively. "It's nice meeting you too, Cooper." Kurt replied politely.

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\- 220 -

"Now that the intros are out of the way, who wants to go have dinner? My treat. We were going to eat before I dropped him off but I couldn't handle his pouting anymore so I brought him here first." Cooper said teasingly.

"I was not pouting. All I said was that excited about seeing Kurt and you turned us around." Blaine said pointedly.

"You were pouting like adorable puppy and you know it!" Cooper said as he playfully shoved Blaine. "As I was saying, dinner?"

"Yeah, we're down." Jeff said nodding along with Nick.

"Kurt?" Cooper said curiously.

"Sure, yeah. I'd love to go to go dinner." Kurt replied smiling.

"Great, let's head out." Cooper said happily before turning around towards the door.

Kurt quickly realized that he really Cooper. He was a lot like Blaine in the sense of how funny and charming he was, but he was also undeniably mature. While he teased Blaine quite a bit, he was also very respectful and Kurt could tell that he really cared about Blaine. Despite the teasing, Blaine couldn't help but laugh along with friends as they drove to the restaurant. He loved how great Kurt and Cooper were getting along and he loved how easy it was to include him in his life with his friends. It was amazing having such a strong, supportive male influence in his life. An influence he hadn't realized he missed so much and an influence he would take over his father without question. They talked a lot during that week and while they still had more to talk about, it was comforting to know that Cooper was there to stay.

They had decided to eat at Breadstix despite the long drive because it was Cooper's favorite place to eat when he was younger. He immediately joked about how the place hadn't changed and loved the fact that his favorite waitress from his college years was still there. Once they were seated in her section and their food was ordered, they chatted idly for a little while before everything shifted. Just as the waitress brought them their appetizer, Karofsky and Quinn walked into the restaurant. Kurt was the first to notice them. Once the initial shock of seeing them together subsided, fear took over and without realizing it, he began to shake slightly in his seat.

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\- 221 -

"Kurt, what's wrong?" Blaine asked him. He followed Kurt's line of sight, tensing when he saw that Karofsky was watching them.

"What is it?" Jeff asked as he turned around, confusion and anger quickly seeping through his pores when he saw Quinn and Karofsky.

"Excuse me." Kurt said quickly as he got up from his seat and headed towards the restrooms. "Kurt, wait." Blaine called out as he followed him.

"What the hell is she doing here with him?" Jeff asked more to himself than to Nick and Cooper. "Who are they?" Cooper asked curiously.

"That's Quinn, Kurt's friend and Jeff's...kind of girlfriend, and that's Karofsky." Nick told him quietly, aware of the fact that Jeff was fuming.

"Karofsky? As in the reason Kurt's at Dalton?" Cooper asked curiously. During one of their many talks, Blaine had mentioned the problems with Karofsky. He hadn't gone into detail, but he told Cooper enough to let him know that he was not a good guy and that he should never be anywhere near Kurt.

"Yeah, that's him." Jeff said through gritted teeth.

"Alright then, we're leaving." Cooper said as he called the waitress over.

Blaine was singing softly to Kurt in the bathroom in attempts to calm him down. He was trying his best not to panic but the fact that Karofsky was just a few yards away was freaking him out big time. On top of that, the fact that Quinn was there with him both confused and angered him. She knew that Karofsky abused him. She knew that Kurt was terrified of him, yet there she was on an obvious date. He couldn't believe it and had he not seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it. Blaine got a text from Cooper saying that they were leaving back to Dalton and ordering pizza instead so they quickly exited the bathroom and made their way to the front. Kurt was too afraid to feel bad for making everyone leave. If anything he was grateful that he could go back to the safety of Dalton.

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\- 222 -

Jeff, who was waiting at the front door for them, told them that he needed to talk to Quinn and would be back in a few minutes. He waited until they were gone before walking over to where Quinn and Karofsky were sitting.

"I need to talk to you." he told her firmly.

"Get lost, homo! Can't you see I'm on a date?" Karofsky said irritably.

Jeff ignored Karofsky completely and kept his gaze on Quinn. "I need to talk to you, now."

Quinn sat frozen in place underneath Jeff's intense glare. Sure she wasn't really dating Karofsky but Jeff didn't know that and she truly cared about what Jeff thought. In the short amount of time they had spent together, Jeff had proven to her that not all men were dogs. He had shown her true compassion when she told him the truth about Beth, and while they hadn't had sex, he most certainly knew how to please her in ways that none of the other guys she had been with could. She liked Jeff a lot and now she was worried that she would lose him before she ever really had him.

"Are you deaf? I said get lost!" Karofsky snarled as he went to grab Jeff's arm. Jeff quickly grabbed Karofsky's hand, twisting it painfully before slamming it on the table.

"I was not talking you, asswipe." Jeff said angrily.

"Jeff." Quinn said softly in order to get his attention.

Jeff glanced at her for only a moment before releasing his hold on Karofsky's hand and walking away, Quinn close behind. Jeff walked towards the restrooms, entered the women's, making sure that it was empty before locking the door behind Quinn once she was inside.

"What the hell are you doing here with him?" he asked her angrily. "You are aware of who that is, right?" "Of course I know who it is." Quinn said quickly. "It's not what it looks like, I swear."

"No? So you aren't on a date with the same guy who molested Kurt?" He asked her sarcastically.

"No. I mean, yes. I mean-"

\- 223 -

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"What? What do you mean? Why the hell are you on a fucking date with him, Quinn? Why?" Jeff asked her again.

"I-I can't tell you." Quinn said quietly.

"You can't tell me? Are you serious?" Jeff asked in disbelief. He swiftly closed the gap between him and Quinn, pinning her against the wall before talking again. "Does he know about us?" he asked her in a low voice. "Did you tell him about how good I make you feel? Does he touch you? Do you let him touch you like you let me touch you?" he asked her as he slipped his hand in-between her legs, loving the fact that he could make her wet so quickly, even though he was so angry with her. "Do you moan for him the way you do for me?" Before she could answer, he leaned in and kissed her roughly as his fingers rubbed her crotch. "Answer my question, Quinn." He said when they parted. "Do you let him touch you?"

"No! God, no! Of course not!" Quinn answered in a whine as Jeff removed his hand. "How could you even think that?"

"I don't know what to think. You're here on a date with him so you tell me. What the hell is going on?" he asked her seriously.

"I just...I can't tell you but I promise you that it isn't what you think." Quinn told him pleadingly.

"Fine. Don't tell me. Don't call me until you're ready to talk." Jeff said angrily before unlocking the door

and storming out.

"Jeff, wait!" Quinn called out but he was already gone. "Shit!" she said angrily as she kicked the bathroom stall. How was she supposed to get Jeff to believe her without telling him the entire truth? How was she going to tell him the truth without it getting back to Kurt?

"Oh, this is bad. This is so bad!" she mumbled to herself as she walked out of the bathroom.

She had no idea what she was going to do but she would have to figure it out. There was no way that she was letting someone as incredible as Jeff slip through her fingers because of their crazy plan. She walked back over to her table, ignoring the questioning looks from Karofsky and slammed her head on the table. The last thing she wanted to do was be there, but since Artie and Mike were once again sneaking into Karofsky's house, she had no choice. She would have to figure something out and soon. She was not about to lose Jeff.

\- 224 -

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Later that night, Kurt and Blaine were lying down facing each other talking before heading off to sleep. They had tried to talk to Jeff about what had happened with Quinn but Jeff refused to tell them, only concerning them both more. What Quinn could possibly be doing with Karofsky was beyond their comprehension and they felt really bad for Jeff who had locked himself away in his room as soon as they returned.

"First Bastian and now Jeff? What the hell is going on with our friends?" Kurt asked sullenly as Blaine caressed his cheek.

"I don't know but whatever it is, it can't be good." Blaine replied sighing. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. I have you after all and you did promise not to let him near me." Kurt said with small smile.

"I did and I intend to keep that promise." Blaine said seriously.

"I know." Kurt said softly.

"I'm glad to be back in school. I missed this." Blaine said sweetly as he kissed Kurt's fingers.

"Me too. I'm ready for classes to start. I need the distraction." Kurt said quietly.

"Yeah, me too." Blaine admitted.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kurt asked him for probably the tenth time that day.

"Yeah, I am. Having Cooper back has just brought back a lot of old memories I wish stayed forgotten. But I'm ok." Blaine assured him.

"You know you can talk to me." Kurt replied softly as he reached over to play with Blaine's curls.

"I know. Trust me, just being here with you helps me." Blaine replied as he yawned. "Can we go to bed? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, let's go to sleep." Kurt said as he own yawn escaped his lips. - 225 -

"Can I be the little spoon?" Blaine asked with a goofy grin.

"Sounds perfect to me." Kurt replied as he got adjusted.

Blaine hadn't told him the reason he wanted to be the little spoon was because of his nightmares. He was just glad that he had Kurt there with him. He hoped they slept soundly that night. He already hated that Cooper was worrying about him and he didn't want Kurt to worry too. He was stronger than this, he knew he was. As long as he was in the arms of the boy he loved then he would be safe. Or at least, he hoped he would.

\- 226 -

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CHAPTER TWENTY

Cracks In The Wall

Blaine's running down the dark, empty corridor, desperation taking over as he tries to escape. He can't see who's after him but he hears their voice loud and clear as they taunt him.

"Blaine." The deep, distorted, menacing voice calls out, elongating his name. "Blaine."

Blaine turns a sharp corner, breathing heavily from exhaustion. He's been running for hours, never stopping to catch his breath in fear of the monster getting him. He can feel his legs warning to give out but he ignores it and keeps running, picking up his pace once more.

"Pathetic." The voice booms out. "Disgusting. Unworthy. Burden. Appalling. Pitiful. Repulsive. Condemned. WEAK!"

Blaine turns another corner, falling over his feet as his body gives out. He looks around quickly, noticing the faintest of lights in the distance. He attempts to stand up, only to fall once more. The voice laughs manically as it gets louder, closer.

"Blaine." It says again, amusement and victory evident.

"NO!" Blaine screams out as he crawls towards the light. "Get away!" The voice laughs once more as a heavy

shadow looms over Blaine. "No! NO!" Blaine screams out as he cowers in fetal position. "GET AWAY!"

Kurt was sound asleep with Blaine wrapped in his arms when Blaine began to thrash around. It took Kurt a minute to wake up and realize what was going on and when he finally did, his stomach clenched in worry. Blaine's face was scrunched in absolute fear as tears rolled down his cheeks. Kurt said his name a few times in attempts to wake Blaine up but all Blaine did was thrash more.

"NO!" Blaine yelled out. "Get away!"

"Blaine, wake up." Kurt said again but louder. "No! NO! GET AWAY!"

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"Blaine!" Kurt said loudly with a hint of desperation as he as he roughly shook Blaine's shoulder. "Baby, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Kurt shook him a few times before Blaine suddenly shot up in the bed, gasping for air. Blaine looked around the room in a panic as Kurt sat up with him. Realizing he was at Dalton, Blaine let out a small chuckle of relief before a pained sob escaped his mouth.

"Hey, you're ok. Everything's fine. It was only a dream." Kurt said comfortingly as he pulled Blaine into an embrace. Blaine clung onto Kurt's shirt, inhaling deeply, taking comfort in Kurt's scent before nuzzling his head into Kurt's chest.

"Just a dream. Just a dream." Blaine mumbled to himself.

"It's ok, baby. I'm here, you're ok." Kurt said softly as he massaged comforting circles on Blaine's lower back.

They stayed like that for a good thirty minutes as Blaine tried to calm down. Kurt began to rock back and forth as he sang "Not Alone" to Blaine, knowing that the meaning of the song meant so much more to the both of them. Blaine started to sing along almost instantly, his grip still firmly on Kurt. When the song ended, Blaine took a few shaky breaths before releasing his hold on Kurt.

"Thank you." Blaine said just above a whisper.

"Of course, baby." Kurt said sincerely. "Are you ok?" he asked with concern.

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm ok." Blaine said nodding his head quickly, trying to convince himself more than trying to convince Kurt.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kurt asked as he ran his fingers through Blaine's hair.

Despite Blaine shaking his head no, the words fell out of his mouth on their own. "Dark, too dark. Running, lots and lots of running. Couldn't get away. Couldn't get away." Tears fell down his cheek while he started to mumble to himself again as he recalled the dream.

"Hey, no, no. You're ok, everything's ok." Kurt said comfortingly as he wiped Blaine's tears away. "What do

you need me to do? Whatever it is, I'll do it."

\- 228 -

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"Just...sing, please." Blaine replied desperately, breaking Kurt's heart. "Cooper j-just sings to me."

Kurt nodded as he leaned forward to kiss Blaine on the forehead. They laid back down, Kurt holding him tightly as his free hand ran through Blaine's curls, and sang softly as Blaine slowly drifted back to sleep. Only when Blaine was completely comfortable, only when he felt truly safe again did he fall asleep. Kurt stayed awake for a while longer, simply humming softly as he watched the sleeping boy in front of him. He may not have known the details of what happened to Blaine but he didn't need to. He would be there for Blaine the same way Blaine had been there for him. He was scared and worried for his beautiful boyfriend and he refused to let anything happen to him again, be it a dream or real life. He would be there till the end.

Blaine woke up around 10 that morning with Kurt's arm still tightly wrapped around his waist. His thoughts went instantly to the nightmare he had that night and he felt extremely guilty for waking Kurt up. He carefully turned his body so that he was face to face with Kurt, sighing softly as he gently caressed Kurt's cheek. I didn't want to worry him. Why did I have to have that damn nightmare? How am I supposed to be strong for him if I can't even get ahold of myself? Blaine lightly kissed Kurt on the cheek before getting out of bed. I'll let him sleep. He's probably exhausted from staying up with me. He walked over to the bathroom, freshened up, and walked out to find Kurt still sound asleep. Not wanting to make any more noise, he walked out of the room quietly, still dressed in his pajamas. He walked over to the common room where several of the Warblers were huddled together and talking in hushed but frantic whispers.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Blaine asked the curiously.

"We're trying to figure out the best way to get Bastian and Thad talking." Nick told him.

"Still nothing, huh?" Blaine asked furrowing his eyebrows.

"Nope. Bastian won't leave the room and Thad won't leave his car." Beatz told him shaking his head. "Thad's in his car?" Blaine asked bemused.

"Yeah, he texted me a few minutes ago that he was here but he's refusing to leave his car." David told him.

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\- 229 -

"Who's refusing to leave their car?" Blaine and the rest of the Warbler turned around to see a sleepy, bed- head Kurt walking over to them. Blaine couldn't help but smile at Kurt's disheveled appearance; it was his favorite.

"Thad is and Bastian won't leave the room." Beatz told him.

"Seriously?" Kurt asked slightly annoyed as he walked up behind Blaine to wrap his arms around his

waist. "What is wrong with those two?"

"They're idiots. That's what's wrong with them. How are we going to fix this?" Jeff asked the guys.

While the guys began to plot once more, Kurt nuzzled his nose in the crook of Blaine's neck before kissing him lightly. "Why didn't you wake me? I missed you this morning."

"You had a long night. I didn't want to disturb you." Blaine replied sweetly. "Your night was longer." Kurt said worriedly. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." Blaine assured him with a loving smile. Kurt nodded in acceptance but made a mental note to talk to Blaine more about it later.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do. We're going to kidnap them both and then lock them up in the closet. The lack of space will force them to talk." Beatz said confidently.

"Yeah, if they don't suffocate first." Kurt quipped. "How about I go talk to Bastian, Blaine and Nick go talk to Thad, and then we lock them in their room until they talk it out. We can get a chair to hold the door." Kurt said.

"Sure, if you want to do it the easy way." Beatz said rolling his eyes.

"Don't bring Thad to the room until I text you." Kurt told Blaine. "Beatz, get that chair ready."

While Beatz went on a hunt for the perfect chair, Blaine and Nick grabbed their coats before heading outside and Kurt walked over to Sebastian's room.

\- 230 -

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"Bastian?" Kurt called out as he knocked on the door. "Bastian, open up." After a few minutes of silence, Kurt tried again. "Open this damn door, Smythe!" He said in his diva voice as he pounded on the door.

"What, Hummel!" Sebastian snapped angrily as he opened the door abruptly. Kurt pushed passed Sebastian and walked into the room. "By all means, come in." Sebastian said sarcastically as he closed and locked the door behind him.

"Cut the crap, Bastian. What's going on with you and Thad?" Kurt asked straight to the point.

"I already told you. He freaked out and now he won't talk to me. Nothing's changed." Sebastian replied irritably as he sat on his bed.

"Well then, change it." Kurt told him firmly, granting him a glare from Sebastian. "I'm serious. Get your ass up, go wash up and make yourself pretty, and when Thad comes in here, talk to him. Simple as that."

"It's not that simple!" Sebastian snapped. "Don't you think I've tried talking to him?"

"Try harder. Tell him how you feel, how you really feel. Don't bullshit with him. He likes you too, you know. He's just scared that you don't feel the same way." Kurt told him. Sebastian looked at him questionably but said nothing. "Come on, I'm serious. Get your ass in that bathroom and I'll pick out an outfit for you." Sebastian rolled his eyes but got off the bed nonetheless.

While Sebastian washed up quickly, Kurt went through Sebastian's closet. Kurt picked out an outfit he knew would accentuate all of Sebastian's best assets before pulling his phone out to text Blaine.

How's it going with Thad? – Kurt

It's going. We've convinced him to come inside but he's still nervous about talking to Bastian. How're things up there? – Blaine

Things are good. Give me a few more minutes then bring him up. – Kurt

Kurt pocketed his phone just as Sebastian walked out of the bathroom. "Thad's coming up in a few minutes. Do you know what you're going to tell him?"

"Relatively." Sebastian replied flatly.

\- 231 -

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"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Kurt assured him before walking towards the door. "Hey, Kurt?" Sebastian called out before Kurt opened the door.

"Hm?"

"Thanks." Sebastian said with a small smile.

"Thank me after you two make out." Kurt replied slyly as he opened the door. "Don't you mean make up?" Sebastian asked smirking.

"I meant what I said." Kurt said with a wink and walked out.

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Kurt waited around the corner with David and Beatz while Blaine and Nick came back up with Thad. They had told him that he wouldn't have to worry about talking to Sebastian right away because he wasn't in the room so when he opened the door to see Sebastian waiting for him, he instantly began to back away in panic. Beatz and David quickly shoved him back in the room before trapping them in with the chair.

"David! Open this door!" Thad said in his councilmen voice.

"No!" David shouted back. "Talk yo shit out!"

"For crying out loud." Thad mumbled to himself before turning around to look at Sebastian. He tried his best not to blush but couldn't help it as the memories of New Year's came rushing back. It didn't help that Sebastian was wearing fitting black jeans and a tight green polo shirt that did amazing things to his form. "So, how was your last week of vacation?" Thad asked quietly, avoiding Sebastian's gaze.

"Honestly? It was pretty shitty." Sebastian replied irritably. "You see, I had an amazing time with my best friend at Nick's house and then he decided to ignore my phone calls all week."

"I'm sorry, Bastian." Thad said meekly. "I just..."

\- 232 -

"You just what, Thad?" Sebastian asked as he took a step forward. "Do you have any idea how many times I called? How many voicemails I left? How many texts I sent? Why the hell didn't you reply? If it hadn't been for the guys telling me that you text them back I would've thought that you were lying in a damn ditch somewhere!"

"I'm sorry!" Thad nearly shouted. "I'm sorry for ignoring you!"

"Why the hell did you ignore me? Tell me the truth!" Sebastian said angrily.

"I freaked out, ok?! After what we did...I-I panicked! I didn't know what to do so I left and then I felt stupid for leaving so I ignored you! It was a mistake, ok? I'm sorry!" Thad replied with a hint of desperation.

"What was a mistake? Leaving and ignoring me or the fact that we had sex?" Sebastian asked him seriously.

"I-I...um..." Thad stammered for a minute, not knowing how to answer the question. "D-do you think what we did was a mistake?" he asked looking down, his voice as small as a mouse.

"No." Sebastian answered resolutely. "I don't think what we did was a mistake and I don't regret it either."

"Oh." Thad said surprised.

"Do you?" Sebastian asked quietly as he stepped closer once more. Thad didn't trust himself to speak so he shook his head slowly. "Then why did you leave? Why did you ignore me?"

"I was scared." Thad replied just above a whisper. "I-I thought that you'd regret it and I-I didn't think I could handle you telling me that..."

"Telling you what?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"That you didn't like me. That it was just because we were drunk and that it didn't mean anything." Thad said quietly, his eyes still downcast.

Sebastian closed the space between them, raised his hand to Thad's cheek, and gingerly lifted Thad's face so that they were looking at each other. "What we did meant the world to me, Thad." He said softly. "And

you're right, I don't like you. I love you."

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"You do?" Thad asked in shock.

"Yeah, I do. I have for a long time. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out." Sebastian said with a small smile.

"I thought about it, a few times. I thought that maybe you had feelings for me but I...I kept thinking that it was all in my head." Thad said truthfully.

"It wasn't." Sebastian said, his eyes locked with Thad's. "I...I love you too. Just so you know." Thad said blushing.

"Good. I was hoping you did." Sebastian replied before leaning forward and capturing Thad's lips in a soft kiss.

"You don't always have to be so gentle with me." Thad said as they parted. "I'm sorry?" Sebastian asked bemused.

"I've always wondered what it'd be like to be with you and I uh, I always thought that you'd be...rougher, like you were with all the guys. I never anticipated you to be so sweet." Thad replied bashfully.

"I'm sweet with you because I'm in love with you. The other guys never mattered." Sebastian said as he stroked Thad's cheek. "But if you want me to be rougher, I'll happily oblige." He said mischievously as he pressed his body against Thad's.

"How's it going in there?" Kurt asked Beatz who was sitting on the chair against the door.

"I don't know. They were fighting for a little bit but it got really quiet a few minutes ago." Beatz told him. Do you think we should-" Beatz was abruptly interrupted by a loud behind him. He quickly stood up from the chair, pulled it out, and leaned into the door. "Are you two ok in there?"

The door opened quickly, revealing an already disheveled Sebastian. "Unless you want to stay for the show, I suggest you get the hell away from our door." He said seriously before slamming the door and locking it.

"Well, then. I think they've made up." Beatz said as he straightened himself out. - 234 -

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"Yes, obviously." Kurt said laughing as they walked away from the door.

Beatz and Kurt walked back over to the common room where the guys were talking excitedly about their upcoming Warbler rehearsal where they would be discussing their plans for Regionals. Kurt noticed that Blaine wasn't amongst them so he went back to their room to see if he was there. He walked into the room just as Blaine pulled his shirt off over his head. Kurt stood there for a moment, his eyes roaming Blaine's bare back hungrily. Blaine turned around as Kurt continued to stare, smirking mischievously as Kurt bit his lower lip at the sight.

"See something you like?" Blaine asked him, raising his eyebrow.

Kurt titled his head to the side as he walked over to Blaine. He placed his hands on Blaine's hips, hooking his index fingers in the elastic of Blaine's pajama bottoms, and leaned in ever so slightly so that his lips barely brushed against Blaine's.

"Maybe." Kurt replied coyly before kissing him.

Blaine placed his hands on Kurt's lower back, letting a few fingers graze the skin, while Kurt kept one hand on Blaine's hip and the other trailed up Blaine's chest. Kurt would usually be more careful about the amount of skin on skin contact between him and Blaine but the week away had been torture. He needed to feel Blaine's skin. He needed to revel in the beauty of his boyfriend. Blaine let Kurt have the control over what they did for the next few minutes, shivering at the way Kurt's fingers felt on his chest. He didn't want to push Kurt or scare him away but the thought of Kurt's bare chest against his made him tug on the back of Kurt's shirt roughly. Kurt broke away from the kiss for a moment, his own lust filled eyes locked on Blaine's, almost pleading at him to do it. Blaine let his fingers graze the bottom of Kurt's back for only a moment before grabbing the shirt and pulling it off. They stood a few inches apart for a minute, both of their eyes roaming the others body.

Kurt closed his eyes, breathing deeply as Blaine's hand gingerly trailed his chest. "You're so beautiful." Blaine whispered.

Kurt opened his eyes before wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck and stepping forward so their bodies were pressed together. A small, involuntary moan escaped Blaine's mouth while Kurt gasped in surprise

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at how amazing something as simple as skin felt. Kurt attached his lips to Blaine, kissing him passionately as they walked over to the bed. When the back of Blaine's knees touched the edge of the bed, he slowly sat down, bringing Kurt with him. Before either could truly realize what was happening, Kurt was straddling Blaine on the bed, kissing fervently as their hands roamed each other's body. Blaine's hand slowly traveled down Kurt's back, sending a shiver of pleasure up Kurt's spine.

Kurt subconsciously grinded his hips down against Blaine's erection, making boys moan in to the kiss. Kurt backed away slightly, his eyes locking with Blaine's, searching for doubt but finding nothing but love and lust. He smirked devilishly at Blaine before experimentally grinding down again to then be rewarded with the most delicious sound he'd ever heard come from Blaine. He tightened his thighs on either side of Blaine and began grinding slowly as he left light, feathery kisses on Blaine's jaw.

"Kurt, y-you g-gotta stop doing that." Blaine said in-between moans.

"What if I don't want to?" Kurt whispered seductively in Blaine's ear. Kurt was challenging him and he knew it. Blaine let his hands cup around Kurt's ass, squeezing hard just as Kurt grinded down once more.

"Blaine!" Kurt moaned in pleasure and surprise. Blaine chuckled softly against Kurt's neck before doing it again. "Shit!"

Kurt kissed Blaine hard as his body started to grind harder, faster. Blaine wrapped his arms tightly around Kurt's waist before flipping them on the bed, Kurt securely pinned underneath him. Kurt looked at Blaine intently, letting him know that yes, he was ok. Kurt had always been in charge when it came to their relationship, be it physical or emotional; he was the one that got to decide how fast and how far. This time around, Kurt laid there wanting nothing more than to have Blaine take control; he wanted Blaine to claim him even. He would not push Blaine off nor would he tell him to stop. He wanted, he needed Blaine to decide the next step. Blaine took in Kurt's trusting eyes, smiling lovingly at the fact that Kurt had come so far. He leaned forward, capturing Kurt's lips in a passionate kiss before grinding his erection against Kurt's.

Kurt moaned unashamedly as his fingers wrapped themselves around Blaine's curls. Blaine moved his lips from Kurt's mouth and down his jaw, nipping lightly in between kisses. As Blaine continued to grind hard against Kurt, Kurt moaned loudly at all the sensations going through his body. At one point amongst the grinding, kissing, and panting, the front of their pajama bottoms lowered on their bodies and the heads of their cocks rubbed against each other, skin on skin. Blaine mewled at the new contact and grinded down

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harder, desperate for the contact again. After a few more thrusts, Blaine lowered his hand and in one swift motion, he pulled his pajama bottoms down enough to let his throbbing cock free. He then pulled Kurt's pants down before placing his cock right against Kurt's and grinding down.

"Holy shit!" Kurt moaned as he threw his head back. "Blaine!" he said as his hands reached for Blaine's ass. He squeezed roughly, forcing Blaine to grind down harder against him.

"Kurt! Fuck!" Blaine growled before attaching his lips to Kurt's neck.

Blaine continued to suck on Kurt's neck with ferocity as they grinded against each other in a fast rhythm. Blaine felt the familiar coil in his abdomen indicating he was close so he stopped his attack on Kurt's neck and leaned into his ear.

"Come, Kurt. Come for me." Blaine said in a low, demanding voice, sending Kurt's senses overdrive.

Kurt mewled as he came hard against Blaine's stomach, sending Blaine over the edge in the process. Blaine continued grinding as they came, slowing their pace down and loosening his grip on Kurt's thigh. They laid there panting for a few minutes, both trying to come down from their pleasure high. Blaine finally peeled his sweaty, sticky body off Kurt, walked over to the bathroom to grab a wash cloth, and cleaned both himself and Kurt off. Kurt sat up in the bed, leaned up the wall, and opened his legs and arms so that Blaine could sit in-between. Blaine snuggled into Kurt's body, sighing contently as Kurt stroked his arm. Kurt didn't want to ruin the moment between them but he still had to talk to Blaine so he took the opportunity to do so. He hoped their actives had relaxed Blaine enough to let him in.

"Blaine, can we talk?" Kurt asked him softly.

"Of course. What about?" Blaine replied sleepily.

"It's about last night." Kurt said cautiously.

Blaine stiffened slightly but didn't move. "What about last night?" "Blaine." Kurt said firmly, prompting Blaine to look up at him.

Blaine saw the concern and seriousness behind Kurt's eyes and sighed as he sat up straighter. "What do

you want to know?"

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"I just...I want to make sure you're ok." Kurt said quietly.

"I'm fine, Kurt. I promise." Blaine tried to assure him but he wasn't convinced. "Baby, I'm serious. I'm ok." "You keep telling me that but..."

"But what?"

"But I know that you haven't had any nightmares for a long time. I was really worried about you last night." Kurt said softly. "I want you to talk to me the way I've talked to you. I want to be here for you but I can't help you if you don't let me in."

Blaine looked at Kurt lovingly, knowing that he was right. He really didn't want to worry Kurt but he knew that Kurt wouldn't let it go. "Ok. Yes, things are little hard right now but it's just because Cooper's back. Telling him everything and opening up all those wounds...it messed with my head a little. But I promise you that I'm ok. I have you and the guys to keep me mellow. As long as you keep singing to me, I'll be fine."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Kurt asked him seriously. "I don't need to call Cooper or your grandmother or anything?"

"Yes, I'm sure. There's no need to call them. As long as I have you, I'm fine." Blaine assured him. "Alright." Kurt said a little reluctantly with a shrug. "You'll tell me if something's wrong though, right?"

"Yes, if something is wrong, I will tell you." Blaine told him before turning his body so that he could wrap his arms around Kurt's waist. "I love you. Thank you being here and caring so much for me."

"I will always be here for you, always." Kurt said seriously as he tightened his grip on Blaine. "I love you too."

That first week back had been a quick one. The teachers were eager to get the year started off right, many of them assigning tons of homework their first day back. Throughout the week, Kurt watched Blaine, waiting to see if the falling pieces were going to show. It surprised him how collected and carefree Blaine was during the day when at night he was waking up to horrible nightmares. Blaine had a nightmare every single night that week but he continued to tell Kurt that he was fine. From what Kurt understood, his nightmares were relatively the same thing; he'd be running for hours, running away from the monster to

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then eventually fall and wake up right before the shadow got him. Kurt wondered who the shadow was but never asked. He had the feeling that it was Blaine's father though. He was worried, really worried, but Blaine insisted that he was ok. Instead of questioning Blaine, Kurt decided to simply be there and watch closely in case something went wrong.

Come Friday afternoon, Kurt and Blaine, along with all the Warblers, were thrilled to have their first rehearsal of the New Year. Despite the constant arguing over song choices and the grueling hours, it was still their favorite part of the week. This Warbler rehearsal was no different than any other; the boys would come in, fool around until Wes commanded their attention, they would do their warm-ups, sing a few songs, and then listen to the council talk about what was needed.

"Good job tonight, boys. That was a great first rehearsal." Wes said proudly. "We have a few announcements concerning Regionals and then you can be on your way."

"Warbler Blaine brought us an idea that we all agree would be our best bet for winning. Instead of having two solos, we will have one solo and one duet." David informed them, the room instantly breaking out in excited chatter.

"Order!" Wes yelled out banging his gavel. "You may continue Warbler David."

"The solo will go to Blaine since he was unanimously chosen at the beginning of the school year. The duet however, is up for grabs. We will be hold auditions the next two weeks. No favoritism will be shown. Everyone will have a fair shot. Instead of us, the council members choosing, we will be putting it up to a vote after the final audition. How does that sound?" David asked the group smiling.

The Warblers hooted and cheered in agreement and excitement, many of them already planning an audition in their heads. Wes dismissed them for the night and while most went back up to their dorms, a few went to their cars to head home. Among those few was Jeff.

Quinn pulled up to Jeff's house late that Saturday night. She hadn't planned on telling him anything, but after a week of zero contact with him, she couldn't help it. She still wasn't sure what she was going to tell him but she needed to see him. The fact that Jeff had somehow snuck his way into her heart so quickly

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scared the hell out of her. It scared her that she felt so strongly about him and it scared her that she was so willing to break the rules for him. The thought of losing him however, scared her more. She sat in her car for a few minutes, trying to convince herself that it was bad idea and to just go home. She couldn't though. She couldn't turn her car back on and she couldn't drive away. She needed to see Jeff, even if it meant telling him the truth. She finally got out of her car and walked over to the front door, hoping that it was Jeff who answered and not his parents. After a few knocks, a sleepy Jeff opened the door for her.

"Quinn?" he said bemused.

"Hey." She said, he voice small and shy. "Can we talk?" Jeff eyed her for a moment before nodding and letting her in.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Overheard

Quinn followed Jeff up the stairs and towards his room silently. She had planned out their conversation in her head that entire week but now that she was actually there, she had no clue where she was going to start. Jeff stood by his bedroom door as Quinn entered the room. He closed the door behind her, locked it, and then leaned up against it as Quinn walked over to his window. He knew that she wouldn't be there unless she wanted to talk and he needed to hear what she had to say, be it good or bad. He also knew that he needed to keep his distance from her. He had quickly learned that she was like a drug to him and he couldn't risk falling into her grasp before she told him what was going on. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Quinn finally spoke up.

"You know, when I was younger, all I wanted was to be popular. I would see all the pretty girls talking to their friends and their boyfriends and I hated them because I wanted to be them so badly. When my own awkwardness passed and we moved here, I became that girl. I became the girl that everyone loved to hate; cheerleading captain, dating the quarterback, tormenting people like Rachel and Kurt. I became someone I never truly was."

Jeff stayed put as Quinn continued talking. He couldn't figure out where she was going with the conversation but he could tell that it wasn't a conversation she wanted to have.

"When I got pregnant with Beth...none of that popularity meant anything. Just as quickly as I climbed the totem pole, that's how quickly I fell back down. Faster even. I had forgotten how it felt like to be a loser until Karofsky and his cavemen slushied me." She said bitterly.

"Then why the hell are you dating him?" Jeff asked irritably.

"Because it's what I needed to do." Quinn replied simply. "When the school turned its back on me, it was the Glee club that took me in. It didn't matter that I tortured most of them. They accepted me. Kurt was very sweet to me throughout the whole thing and I don't think I'll ever truly make it up to him. Once the baby was born and I got back on the Cheerios...I lost sight of what's really important. I knew something was wrong with him. I knew that Karofsky was torturing him more than usual but...I was too self-involved to really see what was going on."

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Jeff stepped away from his door and started slowly walking over to Quinn, eager to hear more. "I still don't understand why you're dating him. How does this all fit in, Quinn?"

Quinn took a deep breath before continuing, aware of the fact that Jeff was just a foot or so away, and ignoring the way her heart raced. "I feel terrible about what happened to him." She said quietly, her voice wavering. "I hate myself for caring so much about what everyone else thought and I hate myself for ignoring the signs that were there. We all do. That's why we're getting Karofsky back."

"What do you mean you're getting him back?" Jeff asked curiously.

"I can't tell you the details, Jeff, please don't make me. But...that's why I'm dating Karofsky. It's my cover in our plan. Trust me, I hate that I have to pretend to be with him but I was the best choice. I'm the one who lost it all when I got pregnant. I'm the only one who's enough of a bitch to date someone like him for status quo." She told him shaking her head.

Jeff walked right up to Quinn, placed his hands on her hips, and nuzzled his face into the back of her head, inhaling her scent, making her quiver slightly. "Does he know you're using him for popularity?" he asked her lowly.

"Yeah, he knows. Hell, he's using me too. As far as he knows, I'm only dating him to increase my popularity and he only agreed to date me so it could stop the gay rumors about him. Not that there were ever really any rumors. Puckerman's just really good at fooling people." Quinn said chuckling.

"So then tell me, Quinn." Jeff said quietly into Quinn's ear. "Tell me this great plan that involves you dating that jackass."

"I-I can't. I-I shouldn't even b-be telling you that there is one." Quinn stammered. It was getting harder for her to think with Jeff's breath on her neck. "Just k-know that when it's all d-done and said, he'll be outed and destroyed. I'll f-finish him off by telling everyone that h-he refused to touch me o-or be with me sexually."

"I see." Jeff said before planting delicate kisses on her neck. "And what if this plan doesn't work? Then what?"

"It will." Quinn replied breathlessly.

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The way Quinn responded was all Jeff needed to turn her around. He planned on getting more answers from her still but he needed to be with her. She was too intoxicating to ignore any longer. He looked at her intently, trying to remind himself that he was still angry with her but he couldn't resist. He pulled her hips roughly, pressing their bodies together as the hard in his pajama bottoms grew, and kissed her passionately. Quinn instantly melted into the kiss, wrapping one arm around his neck while the other gripped at his shirt.

After New Year's night and the week straight they spent together, not seeing each other or talking at all for that entire next week was torture on both of them. Jeff made Quinn feel like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. In turn, Quinn made Jeff feel invincible. There was something strong between them that neither understood but both were desperate for it. After a short while of kissing fervently, Jeff guided Quinn to his bed, wanting nothing more than to show her how much he had missed her.

An hour or so later, Quinn and Jeff lay naked on Jeff's bed; Quinn's arm wrapped Jeff's torso, her head resting on his chest with Jeff's arm around her body. The comfortableness between them was something they both truly adored and both knew that the day they actually had sex would be a day that they wouldn't forget. Jeff wanted to lay there for the rest of the night enjoying the way Quinn's body felt against his but they still needed to finish talking.

"Baby-doll, are you awake?" he asked her softly.

"Mhm." She replied with a content sigh.

"Quinn...I need to tell Kurt." Jeff told her cautiously.

"What?!" Quinn replied in a panic as she sat up quickly. "You can't! He can't know!" "Baby-doll, I have to." Jeff said softly as he sat up with her.

"Why? Why can't you just keep this between us?" Quinn asked him a little angrily. "Because he's my friend! He deserves to know!" Jeff replied defensively.

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Contents "Jeff, please! Please don't tell him! If he finds out then he's going to try and stop us and this is something we need to do. Karofsky deserves everything we're going to do to him and more! Please, please don't tell

Kurt!" Quinn begged.

"What if your plan doesn't work? What if you fail and he decides to come after Kurt? Then what?" Jeff asked her seriously.

"The plan is going to work, trust me. He won't be able to come after Kurt. Once it's done, his life will be completely ruined here. I wouldn't be surprised if his dad moves them away. Just...please don't tell Kurt! It's not just that he'll try and stop us. If he knows what we're doing, he's going to freak out big time. We don't want him to panic or start cutting again because of our stupidity. And yes I know, what we're doing is stupid but it's a stupid decision we've made and there's no choice other than to keep going with the plan. Kurt can't know. Please, Jeff!" Quinn replied desperately.

Jeff sat there quietly for a moment as he weighed the pros of cons of not telling Kurt; the biggest con being that Kurt would be furious with him if he ever found out that he knew about it. He knew Quinn was right though. While he doubted that Kurt would start cutting again, simply because it's hard to do something so drastic in the walls of Dalton without getting caught, he knew that Kurt would indeed panic. He would panic a lot and he would probably start having nightmares again and that was something Jeff couldn't risk.

"How long?" Jeff asked her sighing.

"Until everything happens?" Quinn asked him.

"Until everything happens." He confirmed. "Better yet, how long do I have lie to one of my closest friends for you?"

Quinn cringed at the anger behind his question. She knew she was asking a lot from him but she couldn't let Kurt find out. "It's happening right after Regionals."

"That's like 2 months away!" Jeff nearly shouted. "You want me to lie to Kurt for two months? Are you crazy? Have you seen angry Kurt?"

"I know, I know. Just...please." Quinn said softly.

Jeff sighed loudly as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine." - 244 -

"Really?" Quinn asked relieved.

"Yes, really. But I'm not happy about this at all." Jeff said firmly.

"I know, I'm sorry. Thank you." Quinn said sincerely.

"Don't thank me. You're just lucky I like you so damn much." Jeff teased. "Come lay back down." "Actually, I should be getting home. I don't want my parents to worry." She replied sadly.

Truthfully, it wasn't that she didn't want her parents to worry; it was the fact that she was afraid of staying the night with him. They had talked about if and when they had sex, it would be Quinn who initiated it because of everything that happened with Puckerman and Beth. But she knew that at the end of the day, she wasn't the boss, Jeff was. If Jeff wanted more, if he pushed ever so slightly, she would fall apart for him and that scared her. She didn't think that he would actually make that move but that didn't stop her nervousness.

"No, don't!" Jeff said quickly. "Stay with me. My parents are gone this weekend so it'll just be us and the kids tomorrow. I'll make us all breakfast and we can hang out."

"I don't know, Jeff." Quinn said biting her lip.

"I'll be good, I promise. No funny business." He assured her. "Didn't we just do that?" Quinn asked teasingly.

"Ok, yeah, but no more. We'll get dressed and just cuddle until we fall asleep." Jeff said smiling. "Come on, baby-doll. I was going crazy not talking to you all week and now that you're here I don't want to let go. Please stay with me."

Quinn wanted to say no, she really did, but with Jeff pouting at her like an adorable puppy, she couldn't say no. "Alright, fine. I'll stay."

"Yes!" Jeff said excitedly before leaning forward to kiss her, letting his hand trial up her thigh.

"I thought you said no funny business?" Quinn asked as she placed her hand on top of his. - 245 -

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"You're right, I'm sorry. I'll be good and get dressed right now." Jeff said seriously before attempting to get out of his bed.

"Hey, no, no. Don't get up." Quinn said stopping him. "Maybe a little more funny business won't be so bad." She said mischievously.

"Whatever you say. You're the boss." Jeff replied before attaching his lips to her neck and making her giggle. They ended up not fooling around anymore after that but they did talk more and Jeff took every opportunity to make her laugh. He decided to enjoy his night and weekend as much as he could because come Monday, he would see Kurt and he would have to keep his mouth shut. At least, he hoped he could keep his mouth shut.

During those next two weeks, things at Dalton became routine again. Their days were filled with school, three nights a week they had Warbler rehearsal, and their weekends consisted of tons of homework. Jeff had somehow managed to keep Quinn's secret away from Kurt but that didn't mean that it was easy. He often avoided hanging out with Kurt alone for fear of spilling his guts but Kurt hadn't noticed. His mind was too wrapped up in Blaine. As the days went by and school took over, Blaine's nightmares stopped. He only had a few that second week and had been fortunate enough not have any that next week. Kurt still watched him closely though, never once revealing to Blaine his worries. He was glad that Blaine had stopped dreaming but he couldn't help but feel like it was only the beginning of it all.

Blaine, who admittedly was feeling better since the dreams had stopped, had somehow convinced Kurt to sing a duet with him for Regionals. They were the last couple to audition and come Friday afternoon, Kurt was in total panic.

"I can't do this." Kurt mumbled to himself while they waited for the council to call them in. "Yes, you can." Blaine assured him. "You are amazing in this song."

"You're biased, your opinion doesn't count." Kurt quipped.

"Oh, come on! We're going to be great. You are going to be great." Blaine said excitedly.

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"And what if we get chosen? Hm? What if everyone decides that we were so great that we're the ones who get to sing the duet at Regionals?" Kurt asked in a panic.

"That's kind of the point, Kurt." Blaine said smirking.

"Ok, yes, I know but that means I have to sing by myself in front of the audience! What if I fall? What if I forget the words? What if I open my mouth and nothing comes out? What if-"

"Baby, relax." Blaine said sincerely. "None of those things is going to happen."

"How do you know?" Kurt asked crossing his arms. "Are you some kind of psychic now?"

Blaine chuckled and shook his head as he took Kurt in his arms. "I know because I have faith in you. What happened to not being scared anymore?"

"Well, I-"

"What happened to going to Broadway and becoming a huge star?"

"Yeah but-"

"You can't be on Broadway if you're too afraid to be on stage." Blaine pointed out sighing. "I'm not afraid!" Kurt snapped. "I just..."

"Do you trust me?" Blaine asked him seriously.

"You know I do." Kurt said sighing.

"Well then, trust me. When we win the guys over and they chose us to sing the duet, we will blow the competition out of the water. You will go up there like a true performer and you will make the audience fall in love with you and we will win." Blaine said confidently.

"Are you sure about this?" Kurt asked softly.

"I'm positive." Blaine assured him before leaning in for a chaste kiss. - 247 -

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"Ok." Kurt nodded as he took a deep breath.

A few minutes later, David opened the doors and let them know that they were ready for their performance. Blaine gave Kurt a comforting hug before they walked into the room together. Blaine had been planning this performance since the first time he heard Kurt sing "Perfect". There was so much emotion behind the words when Kurt sang them that he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed whenever he watched Kurt sing the song. He knew it would be the same for everyone else. They had planned their performance out to the detail. They weren't just singing, they were telling a story. Kurt sang out to the boys, letting his emotions drip in the words. While he sang to the boys, Blaine sang to him.

Kurt never turned his attention to Blaine. His job was to win the audience over by singing directly to them. Blaine's job was to sing to Kurt as if he was the voice in the back of Kurt's mind. When Blaine rapped, he sang the words to the boys the same way Kurt had. Kurt simply swayed off to the side, bopping his head to the beat as if he was listening to the song through head phones. They finished the song strong, both putting all their emotion into the lyrics. When the song ended, the room erupted in applause. Both boys bowed and thanked their friends before sitting down on one of the couches.

"That was outstanding! Great job, guys!" Wes said proudly. "Talk amongst yourselves for a few minutes and get ready to vote for who you feel should perform at Regionals." he told the rest of the boys.

In those next few minutes, the council members joined in the chitchat as they too decided who they would be voting for. There were several duets that could be great for the competition but they needed to pick the one that would help them win. Wes called order and within the next ten minutes, the Warblers wrote their vote on a sheet of paper for counting. Once the voting was complete, the council members walked out of the room to tally the results.

During the wait, Cooper had called Blaine to let him know that he was in the parking lot waiting for him. Wes had demanded earlier in the week that everyone who could visit their family that weekend to do so. Once their decision on songs was officially made, no Warbler would be allowed to go home unless it was an emergency because they would be rehearsing non-stop for the next four weeks. That meant five days straight of rehearsal, Tuesday through Saturday, Saturday's rehearsal being an all day one.

A short while later, Wes, David, and Thad walked back in the room with smiles plastered on their face. They were happy about the results and the excitement for Regionals was starting to set in. Wes announced that by merely a few votes, Kurt and Blaine would the ones to sing at Regionals. They then

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decided that Blaine would sing "Raise Your Glass" as his solo, saying that the song fit perfectly with the idea of singing to the audience instead of at them like most show choirs do. Once they were dismissed, most of them quickly grabbed their things from their dorms and headed out of the building to go home.

"We better enjoy this weekend. It'll be the last one our families see us alive." Blaine said jokingly as he and Kurt walked out of the building and towards the parking lot.

"I know." Kurt replied laughing. "How many of the guys do you think will fake in sick for Saturday's rehearsal?"

"None if they're smart. Wes is a Nazi when it comes to competition. We have a better chance at surviving his ridiculous schedule if we just go along with it. If we try and get out of it for a non-emergency reason, he will...I don't even know but he gets scary." Blaine said shaking his head.

"We just need to take the gavel away." Kurt said seriously just as they entered the parking lot. Waiting for them and talking amongst themselves was Cooper and Burt.

"Evening, boys. How was rehearsal?" Cooper asked as he gave them both a quick greeting hug. "It was fantastic!" Blaine said excitedly. "Kurt and I got the duet for Regionals."

"You're singing a duet for Regionals?" Burt asked Kurt in surprise. "You never told me that."

"I didn't want to say anything until we knew for sure." Kurt shrugged.

"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do up there. I'm proud of you, kiddo." Burt said as he attempted to ruffle up Kurt's hair.

"Dad! Not the hair!" Kurt said irritably as he ducked away from Burt, making him, Cooper and Blaine laugh.

"We should get going, Blaine." Cooper told his little brother. "It was great meeting you, Burt. We'll have that chat real soon." He said as he shook Burt's hand.

"Looking forward to it, Cooper." Burt said nodding before turning to walk to the driver's side of his car. - 249 -

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"I'll see you Sunday." Blaine said sadly to Kurt.

"See you Sunday." Kurt sighed with a pout. They kissed each other lovingly for a moment, both ignoring the snickering from Cooper and the loud sigh from Burt. A lingering hug and a goodbye later, they were on the road headed home.

Finn was gone that entire weekend of Kurt being home. Burt and Carole told him that he was staying at Puck's because they too were working hard on songs for Regionals. While Kurt was saddened by the fact that he wouldn't have the chance to hang out with Finn, he was also relieved. He didn't want to accidentally tell him that he was singing a duet with Blaine. He wanted it to be a surprise. He spent that Saturday hanging at out at the shop with his dad, talking about school, his friends, and Blaine. At one point Kurt remembered Cooper and his dad talking about having a chat together and he had yet to ask him what it was about.

"Hey, Dad, what were you and Cooper talking about?" Kurt asked him curiously as he flipped through a magazine.

"What do you mean?" Burt asked from underneath the hood of a car.

"Cooper said something to you about chatting real soon. What's he talking about?" Kurt asked as he set the magazine down.

"Oh, that." Burt replied with a chuckle. "We're going to talk about summer plans."

"Summer plans?" Kurt said bemused.

"Yeah. We both agree that you and Blaine are better when you're together so we're going to sit down and plan the summer out. That way you two will be with each other but still around family." Burt replied smiling, glancing sideways at Kurt.

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"Seriously? That'd be great!" Kurt exclaimed. An entire summer with Blaine? Yeah, I like that idea a lot! "Don't get too excited. They have vacation plans just like we do but we're going to try out best to make

sure you two are together. Ok?" Burt said seriously.

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"Yes, ok! That's totally fine! Plan away my dear father, plan away." Kurt replied happily before returning to his Vogue.

Saturday came and left quickly and before Kurt could realize it, it was Sunday afternoon. He was walking down the stairs to wait for Jeff who was going to pick him up when he overheard Finn talking in his room. He's home? He didn't even come say hi to me. Kurt reached for the doorknob to open the door but stopped when he heard what Finn was talking about.

"Yeah, man, I just saw the finished video. It's perfect. It starts off right as he does that line and it cuts off just as they get naked." What the hell is he talking about? "The party's the weekend after Regionals. Karofsky's not going to know what hit him!" Wait, what?! Kurt quickly opened the door, startling Finn in the process.

"Kurt? When did you get here?" Finn asked confused.

"Friday night." Kurt replied as he crossed his arms. "You would've known that if you actually stayed home this weekend."

"I'm sorry, dude. I was Puck's rehearsing-"

"Rehearsing or plotting against Karofsky?" Kurt cut in, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Finn asked dumbly, his face several shades paler.

"Don't play stupid, Finn!" Kurt snapped. "I just heard you talking about some video, a party, and Karofsky. Don't lie to me! You guys are plotting against him after you promised not to, aren't you?"

"Um..."

"Damn it, Finn! You promised!" Kurt shouted.

"Dude, I'm sorry!" Finn said pleadingly. "We couldn't let him get away with-"

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\- 251 -

"He already did! He already got away with it, Finn! What do you think's going to happen after this disastrous plan of yours fails? Huh? He's going to come after me! That's what going to happen! I can't believe you guys!" Kurt screamed before storming out of the room.

"Puck, I gotta go!" Finn said quickly before hanging up the phone. "Kurt, wait!" Finn ran after Kurt down the stairs, grabbing him by the shoulder to get his attention. "Wait! Would you just listen to me, please?!"

"Why?! Why should I? You didn't listen to me so why in the hell should I listen to you?" Kurt asked angrily. "Dude, I know but this plan is foolproof!" Finn said, trying to reason with him.

"No plan is foolproof! Especially with you guys! I can't believe you went behind my back! I trusted you!" Kurt yelled, his eyes filling up with tears.

"Kurt-"

Finn was interrupted by the doorbell and Kurt couldn't be more thrilled. The last thing he wanted to do was listen to more lies from Finn. He stormed over to the door, opening it abruptly and walking out before Jeff could even say hello.

"Jeff, get in the car now!" Kurt yelled as he opened the passenger side door of Jeff's canary yellow Mustang.

Jeff cringed at the shrill in Kurt's voice and quickly got back in his car. He turned the engine on before going to ask Kurt what was wrong but stopped when Kurt immediately put the radio on. Kurt messed with the dial for a few minutes, looking for a station he could listen to as Jeff pulled out of the driveway. When he found the one he wanted, he put it on full blast before staring out the window angrily. Jeff decided to wait until Kurt cooled off a bit before asking him what's wrong, partly because he didn't want to push Kurt but mostly because he was afraid of getting yelled at.

About an hour into the drive, Kurt was no longer scowling out the window, but biting the inside of his cheek anxiously. Jeff could tell that Kurt was no longer on the verge of murder so he turned the radio down to talk to him.

"So, you want to tell me what's wrong?" Jeff said cautiously. - 252 -

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Kurt sat there quietly for a moment before answering. "The New Directions are going to get revenge on Karofsky after they promised me they wouldn't." he said shakily.

"How'd you find that out?" Jeff asked, shifting in his seat.

"I overheard Finn talking to Puck about it right before you picked me up." Kurt replied, looking down at his hands. "Don't they see how bad this is going to turn out? Don't they understand that he'll come looking for me afterwards? "

Jeff looked at Kurt worriedly for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should say something. After a few minutes of silence, he couldn't take it anymore. "Kurt, I need to tell you something."

Kurt looked over at Jeff curiously, noticing the guilty look in his eyes. "What?"

"Quinn told me about the plan a couple of weeks ago." Jeff admitted quietly.

"You knew and you didn't tell me?!" Kurt screeched.

"I know, I know! I'm so sorry! I wanted to tell you but I couldn't!" Jeff said quickly.

"Why the hell not! We're friends, Jeff! Why the hell would you keep this from me?" Kurt asked him, more hurt than angry.

"Because I worried that if you found out you'd start having nightmares again." Jeff said softly. "And not that I agree with their plan or anything, but they didn't want you to find out because they thought you'd start cutting again."

"Damn it, Jeff!" Kurt said as he kicked the glove compartment.

"I'm really, really sorry, Kurt. I wasn't trying to betray you, I swear. I just didn't want you to freak out." Jeff said sadly.

"Yeah, that worked out marvelously didn't it." Kurt replied sarcastically.

They sat there quietly for another few minutes before Jeff spoke up again. "Are you mad at me?"

\- 253 -

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Kurt glared at him for a moment, wanting Jeff to think that yes, he was mad at him even though he really wasn't. "No, I'm not mad at you." he finally said looking away. "I'm a little hurt that you didn't tell me but I guess I understand. I am furious with them though. Be sure to tell Quinn just how pissed off I am next time you talk to her." He said through gritted teeth.

"Will do." Jeff said simply, not wanting to set Kurt off again. They didn't talk the rest of the way back to Dalton.

Blaine had a fairly good weekend with his brother and grandmother. He spent most of his time doing his homework while Cooper typed away at his laptop. It was nice to just be around his brother again. It made him feel safe. When they weren't working, they talked about life. They talked about Blaine's dreams and goals, they talked about their future plans, and they talked about Kurt. Listening to Blaine talk about Kurt was Cooper's favorite. He loved the way that Blaine's eyes lit up at the mention of his boyfriend. It didn't matter that they had been separated for so many years. Their relationship was stronger than ever and Cooper promised himself always be there for Blaine, no matter what happened.

Late Sunday afternoon, Blaine had everything he needed for school packed away in his car. He would miss Cooper and Grams the next four weeks but he was glad to be getting back. He missed Kurt more. He walked over to the study to tell Cooper goodbye when he overheard him and their grandmother talking about their father.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Grams asked cautiously.

"No, probably not." Cooper replied honestly. "But I need to talk to him. What he did to Blaine, what they did to him, was completely unacceptable."

"I agree but you don't want to fight with him, Cooper. I know my son. When he sets his mind to something, there's no changing it." Grams said.

"I know that. I know how he is. He may be your son but he's my father. I can't let him get away with what he did. I can't let them think that everything's ok when clearly it's not." Cooper said angrily.

"When are you going to talk to him?" Grams asked in defeat. - 254 -

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"Probably this week. The sooner the better." Cooper told her.

Contents He's going to talk to dad this week? H-he can't do that! No! No, he can't! "Don't do it!" Blaine said

loudly just as he walked into the room. "Please, don't talk to him."

"Blainey-"

"No, Coop! Please!" Blaine said desperately.

"Blaine, I have to." Cooper told him in his big brother voice.

"But...I...just..." Blaine started to panic as the thought of Cooper and their dad talking about what happened started to sink in.

"Hey, everything's going to be ok. You'll be at Dalton. Nothing's going to happen to you." Cooper said comfortingly as he pulled Blaine in for a hug.

"Just...don't do it this week. Valentine's Day is coming up and I really want to do something special for Kurt and I can't do that if I'm too worried about Dad and you don't even know the full story! You can't talk to him without knowing everything!" Blaine said in one breath.

Cooper backed away from the hug to look at Blaine, instantly hating the obvious fear in his eyes. "Ok, I won't talk to him yet but I do need to talk to him. And you need to tell everything at one point."

"I know and I will!" Blaine replied quickly. "Just...give me until after Regionals. We'll talk about everything and then...then you can talk to Dad."

"Alright, deal." Cooper said nodding.

"I uh, I need to get back to school." Blaine replied as he fidgeted with the seam of his shirt. "Ok. Drive safe. Call me when you get there." Cooper said, hugging him one more time.

"Yeah, I will." Blaine replied, hugging him back tightly. He said goodbye to his grandmother, gave Cooper one last small smile, and quickly headed out the door to his car. He needed to get back to Dalton ASAP. He

needed to see Kurt.

\- 255 -

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Blaine was anxious the entire drive back to Dalton. He blasted his radio, ignored the fact that he kept fidgeting with his shirt, and drove a little too fast. He didn't care though. He needed to see Kurt and he needed to see him now. He had barely parked the car fully before turning off the engine. He grabbed his things and bolted into the building. He first walked into their room, disappointed that Kurt wasn't in there. He set his things down and walked over to the common room, hoping that Kurt was there. The common room was mostly empty so he panicked a little more when he didn't immediately see Kurt. Just as he was going to walk back out, he noticed Kurt sitting by himself in the corner.

"Kurt." Blaine called out.

The instant their eyes met, both boys lost it. Kurt quickly got up from where he was sitting and ran over to Blaine. Blaine embraced Kurt tightly as a few tears fell from his face. They both held on to each other tightly, taking comfort from one another.

"I don't ever want to be away from you that long again." Blaine mumbled into Kurt's shoulder. "It was only a couple of days, Blaine." Kurt replied teasingly, even though he felt the same way. "Don't care. Too long." Blaine said, gripping on to Kurt tighter.

"Baby, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Kurt asked him.

"I overheard Cooper telling Grams that he's going to talk to our father and I just...I'm not ready for that." Blaine told him shakily. "I knew that he would eventually talk to my parents but actually hearing him say it just...I'm not ready to confront him, Kurt. I'm just not."

"You don't have to do anything you aren't ready for, Blaine. I'm sure if you tell Cooper that he'll understand." Kurt said softly as he rubbed Blaine's back.

"I know. He promised me he'd wait but...I'm still anxious about it." Blaine replied, finally loosening his grip on Kurt. "Tell me about your weekend. Distract me, please."

"The New Directions are trying to get revenge on Karofsky." Kurt told him quietly. - 256 -

"What?" Blaine said quickly, backing away from the hug so that he could look at Kurt.

"Yeah. I overheard Finn talking to Puck about it." Kurt said sullenly. "I'm so pissed off at them! They

promised me that would leave it alone but no, they had to go behind my back."

Blaine sighed heavily as he pulled Kurt into another hug. "I'm sorry, Kurt. They should've listened to you."

"Yeah well, I can't say I'm too surprised." Kurt replied sadly. "Can we just go lie down and cuddle and never get back up?"

"I think that's a brilliant idea." Blaine replied with a small chuckle.

They spent the rest of the evening calming each other down. They took turns talking about their worries, each one comforting the other when they panicked. They talked about Regionals and how excited they were and they talked about how they both hoped to be too busy during the upcoming weeks to worry about anything. When they settled down to go to sleep for the night, they both stayed awake for as long as they could. They were both fearful of the possible nightmare they would have when sleep finally came and both hoped that they would be able to have a few peaceful weeks before everything inevitably erupted.

\- 257 -

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Happy Valentine's Day

The next two weeks proved difficult for Kurt and Blaine. While they were busy with school and Warbler rehearsal during the day, they had to continuously switch comforting each other at night. Blaine's dreams intensified, making it harder for Kurt to wake him up. The harder he tried to fight the shadow off, the more difficult it became for him to differentiate dream from reality. Kurt's dreams changed from the usual memories to him constantly running from Karofsky. Karofsky would eventually catch him but instead of sexually assaulting him, he'd beat him to a pulp. The last thing Kurt witnessed before waking up would be Karofsky laughing manically over him. They had few nights where neither dreamt but most nights resulted in one waking up from their nightmare, being comforted, and falling back to sleep only to be woken up by the other's dream.

Come Valentine's Day weekend, they were more than ready for a break. Between the nightmares, the workload from classes, and the pressure for Regional's, they were on edge and Blaine wasn't sure how much more they could take.

"Wes, please. We need a break. Everyone does." Blaine told his fellow Warbler the Wednesday before Valentine's Day.

"We're already skipping rehearsal Saturday for the dance, Blaine." Wes told him.

"One day of rest is not enough, Wes!" Blaine snapped, granting him a shocked look from Wes. Blaine never got angry with him. Not ever. "Look, I know we have Regional's in just a few weeks but...Kurt and I...things are hard for us right now and it's not because of school or rehearsal. We need a break. We...we need to clear our minds, even if it's just for a few days. I don't...I don't know how much more stress we can handle right now." He said a little brokenly.

"Is everything alright?" Wes asked him with concern.

"No. Yes. I don't know." Blaine said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We just need a break. It's Valentine's Day weekend, have a heart."

\- 258 -

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Wes watched Blaine curiously for a moment, wondering what it was that was stressing his two friends so much. Neither boy had said anything to anybody about something being wrong but he and several of the Warblers had noticed that the two of them seemed to be clinging on to each other more so than usual.

"Ok, you're right. It is Valentine's Day this Saturday and everyone could use the break. We'll resume rehearsals on Tuesday." Wes said with a small smile.

"Thank you!" Blaine said in relief.

"Of course." Wes nodded. "Are you ok, Blaine? You and Kurt? Are you guys doing alright?"

"Yeah, we're ok. We're just...that last weekend we went home wasn't the best for us. But we're handling it." Blaine told him.

"Ok. If you need to talk, either of you, I'm here. So are the other Warblers. You know you don't have to deal with everything on your own." Wes said as he placed a comforting hand on his should.

"We know." Blaine replied sighing. "And thank you, really."

"Anytime."

Both boys had been more than grateful for the small break. Being able to not stress for Regional's for those few days was exactly what they needed. They both had nightmares that Wednesday but none Thursday or Friday. They realized that the more they stressed, be it school or something else, the more intense their nightmares would be. They were going to have to figure out how to keep their stress levels down when rehearsals started back up.

Valentine's Day morning started what would be an amazing day. When they woke up cuddled in each other's arms, they simply laid there for the first couple hours kissing. They had been too stressed and too worried about everything to spend any real time together in those passing weeks and after two nights of peaceful sleeping, they were relaxed enough to enjoy each other.

"My lips are going to fall off if we don't take a break." Kurt had told Blaine with a light laugh. Both of their lips were swollen and cherry red from their two hour make-out session.

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\- 259 -

"Now that my dear, would be a tragedy." Blaine replied before attaching his lips back on Kurt's. After kissing for a short while longer, they finally pulled away from each other in a daze. "I love you." Blaine sighed.

"I love you." Kurt replied dreamily. They leaned in to kiss once more but stopped when Blaine's stomach growled. "We should probably get up and eat." Kurt said laughing.

"Yeah, ok." Blaine replied pouting, reluctantly unwrapping himself from his boyfriend's arms. "Let's exchange gifts first."

Kurt nodded in agreement and got out of the bed to get Blaine's gift. They had promised each other that since it was their first Valentine's Day together they wouldn't go overboard on the gifts. They sat on the bed together, gave each other their presents, and opened them.

"Blaine! This is adorable!" Kurt exclaimed when he opened his box. Blaine had bought him a stuffed white kitten with piercing blue eyes that had the words "You're Puuuurfect to me" stitched on its belly.

"Yes and you would know all about adorable wouldn't you?" Blaine replied teasingly as he pulled his gift out of the box. Kurt had bought Blaine a stuffed brown puppy with big, dopey eyes that had the words "I Wuff You" stitched on its belly.

"We're such saps." Kurt said laughing.

"That we are." Blaine said smiling as he sat his puppy on his lap. "Kurtie, would you like some breakfast?" he asked the puppy in a baby voice.

"Kurtie? Really, Blaine?" Kurt asked in disbelief.

Blaine pouted and brought the puppy up to his face, talking in a different baby voice. "Don't you like my name?"

"That is so not fair." Kurt replied, scowling playfully. Even though he bought the puppy because it reminded him of Blaine, he didn't realize that the cuteness of the two together would be so intense.

"But I wuff you." Blaine said in the puppy voice.

\- 260 -

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"Ok, ok. Kurtie it is." Kurt replied in defeat. "Come on, Blainey-Boo, let's go get breakfast before Blaine and Kurtie kill us with their adorableness." Kurt said to his kitten, granting him a stammer from Blaine. "It's only fitting to name him after you since you named your puppy after me." He said matter-of-factly.

"You, Kurt Hummel, are unbelievable." Blaine said shaking his head. Kurt merely shrugged as he settled Blainey-Boo in his arms.

Blaine chuckled softly before leaning in for a chaste kiss. They washed up quickly in the restroom before walking down to the house kitchen with Blainey-Boo and Kurtie, both knowing that their friends would tease them but neither one caring.

Later that day, Kurt and Blaine went out to dinner before the dance at Dalton. Kurt was dressed in a slim, elegant black tux while Blaine was dressed in a fitted, maroon tux and for the first time in weeks, they felt truly at ease. They went to a French restaurant not too far from Dalton which was known not only for their incredible cuisine but for their welcoming nature. Neither boy was surprised to see the restaurant mostly occupied by Dalton and Crawford Country Day students. It was the one place they all knew would be ok with gay couples.

The restaurant was dimly lit, adding to the romantic feel, and there were bouquets of red roses everywhere. There was soft music playing in the background, the staff was all dressed in different shades of red and pink, and there was a special menu set out specifically for the holiday. Kurt couldn't remember the last time he had been so comfortable in a public setting. It was incredible being able to hold hands with Blaine across the table without the fear of bigotry.

"This is nice. We should come here more often." Kurt commented halfway through his meal.

"I agree." Blaine replied with a bright smile. His most important goal those days was to make and keep Kurt happy. If that meant returning to that restaurant then they would most certainly be back.

Just as they finished their meal, Kurt noticed the staff setting up five microphone stands on a small stage he hadn't noticed before.

"Is there a performance?" Kurt asked Blaine curiously. Blaine shrugged in response but Kurt didn't miss the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Blaine, what's going on?"

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\- 261 -

Before Blaine could respond, the owner of the restaurant stepped on the stage. "Hello, everyone." The middle aged man said politely. "We have a special treat for you tonight. Please welcome a few Dalton Academy Warblers."

Blaine, along with Wes, David, Nick, and Jeff, got up from their seats and headed to the stage.

"Blaine!?" Kurt hissed at him. Blaine turned around, winked at Kurt, and continued his way up to the stage.

What in the world are they up to?

It dawned on Kurt that if Jeff was there, so was Quinn. He hadn't talked to any of his friends since he found out about their plan (although they all tried) and even though his anger subsided, he was still extremely disappointed in them. He glanced around the restaurant quickly, noticing Quinn sitting on the opposite side of the restaurant. He kept his eyes locked on her until she turned her head in his direction. They held each other's gaze for a moment, Quinn being the first to move. She smiled sadly at him and waved, unsure of how he was going to react. Kurt returned her sad smile and waved back before turning his attention back on Blaine.

"Good evening, everyone. Happy Valentine's Day." Blaine greeted charmingly. "We hope you don't mind the impromptu performance. We dedicate this song to the ones we love the most." He said, sending Kurt a wink.

Kurt blushed slightly at the attention but smiled brightly at his boyfriend. Wes nodded at one of the employees to start the song which Kurt recognized almost instantly.

"Oh, dear Lord." He mumbled to himself while several of the girls, including Quinn, giggled at the boys' corniness.

Blaine locked eyes with Kurt as he began to sing the song.

Can this be true?

Tell me, can this be real?

How can I put into words what I feel? My life was complete

I thought I was whole

Why do I feel like I'm losing control?

\- 262 -

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I never thought that love could feel like this

and you've changed my world with just one kiss. How can it be that right here with me

there's an angel?

It's a miracle.

Kurt was sure that his face was redder then the roses that decorated the restaurant. How one boy could be so perfect was beyond him. Wes, David, Jeff, and Nick joined in the chorus, imitating the dance moves from the concert footage they watched online.

Your love is like a river Peaceful and deep

Your soul is like a secret That I never could keep When I look into your eyes I know that it's true

God must have spent,

A little more time

On you.

(A little more time, yes he did baby)

The boys switched places on stage, Jeff taking lead vocals and focusing solely on Quinn.

In all of creation

All things great and small

You are the one that surpasses them all More precious than

Any diamond or pearl

They broke the mold

When you came in this world

And I'm trying hard to figure out

Just how I ever did without

The warmth of your smile

The heart of a child

That's deep inside

\- 263 -

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Leaves me purified.

Kurt couldn't stop himself from glancing over at Quinn while Jeff sang to her. She was wearing an adoring smile on her face that Kurt had never seen before and despite being upset with her, he couldn't help but be happy that she had someone as amazing as Jeff in her life.

Your love is like a river

Peaceful and deep (and deep)

Your soul is like a secret

That I never could keep

When I look into your eyes

I know that it's true

God must have spent...

A little more time

On you...

(on you, on you, on you, you...on you, on you, on you, you..) ohhh... (on you, on you, on you, you...on you, on you, on you, you..) yeah...

Watching Blaine and his friends sing as a boy band was by far one of the best things Kurt had ever witnessed. He was never going to let them live it down. As the bridge started, Nick took the lead, singing directly to Harmony.

Never thought that love could feel like this and you changed my world with just one kiss. How can it be that right here with me There's an angel?

It's a miracle.

The boys turned their attention away from their significant others and sang the ending to the rest of the patrons.

Your love is like a river

Peaceful and deep (peaceful and deep) Your soul is like a secret

That I never could keep

\- 264 -

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When I look into your eyes I know that it's true

God must have spent...

A little more time

On you...

(on you, on you, on you, you..)

God must have spent...

A little more time

on you

(on you, on you..you...you..oooh..yeah) A little more time

on you...ohhh

The restaurant broke in applause as the boys bowed. Kurt glanced back at Quinn just as she glanced over at him. They both shook their heads and laughed at their boyfriend's silliness and for a moment, there was no negativity between them. There was simply love and understanding and Quinn hoped that Kurt would forgive them for what they were going to do.

Blaine walked back over to their table, smiling goofily while Kurt glared playfully at him. "So, what did you think?" he asked as he sat down.

Kurt reached over the table and grabbed Blaine's hands to hold before talking. "I think that you are the sappiest, corniest, most amazing, incredible boyfriend on the face of the planet."

Blaine smiled broadly as he leaned over to table to kiss Kurt chastely. "I try." He replied as they parted. "Dessert?"

"Yes, please." Kurt said, smiling lovingly at his boyfriend. Blaine ordered them a slice of red velvet cake, which they fed to each other, and left back to Dalton afterwards for the Dalton/Crawford dance.

When Kurt and Blaine walked into the hall, they didn't waste any time. They walked directly to the dance floor and danced happily alongside their friends. Dancing with a boy in public was something that Kurt never thought he'd have the chance to experience and it was something he knew he would never forget.

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\- 265 -

He added that fact to his list of "Why I love Dalton so much." At one point, David and Sebastian got into a dance off, splitting the room in half. Sebastian had won the dance off by applause, which David pouted at, and then started a conga line. Kurt had refused to join the line so he stood off to the side and watched his friends make fools of themselves. Quinn, who was originally in the conga line, saw that Kurt was alone so she took the opportunity to talk to him.

"Hey, Kurt." Quinn said cautiously when she approached him.

Kurt turned to look at her, immediately noticing the apprehension in her eyes. "Hey, Quinn." He said softly.

"How are you?" she asked him.

"I'm good. How are you?" he asked, glancing over at Blaine just in time to see him laugh at whatever Jeff was telling him.

"I'm good." She replied. "How's, you know, everything?"

"You mean am I cutting?" he asked flatly.

"Yeah...I guess I am." She said, shuffling uncomfortably.

"No. I don't do that anymore." He told her sighing.

"Good. I'm really glad to hear that." She said with a small smile. Kurt nodded but said nothing, his eyes back on Blaine who was attempting some weird dance move. "Kurt?"

"Hm?"

"I'm-We're all really sorry." She told him.

"Sorry for what? Going behind my back or letting me find out?" Kurt quipped. Quinn looked down at the floor shamefaced and said nothing so Kurt continued talking. "Look, I get it. This is you guys' way of making up for not being there when it happened but nothing you do is going to change what he did to me."

"We know but-"

\- 266 -

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"Let me finish." He said firmly. "I'm scared, Quinn, terrified! What if he comes after me?"

"He won't." Quinn said quickly.

"You can't be sure of that." Kurt said seriously. "I don't think you guys truly understand. He has an obsession with me. No matter what you guys do to him, he's going to blame me and come find me. It's what he does. He...he raped me, Quinn. He took my most precious possession and I'm petrified that he's going to come after me again."

"He...oh my, God, Kurt!" Quinn said in shock as she threw her arms around him. "I can't believe he did that! I am so, so sorry!"

Kurt hugged her back tightly. Even if he was upset with her, he knew she meant well. "I know you are. Just...can you not go through with this plan? Please."

"We can't." she said apologetically as she pulled away. "Everything's done. We just have to wait for it to happen."

Kurt sighed heavily and nodded. He figured as much. "When...when does it happen?" "The weekend after Regional's." Quinn told him.

"After...wow...ok. That's soon." Kurt said gulping.

"Kurt, I know that you're scared, and you have every right to be, but I promise we won't let him near you. I know my word doesn't count for much right now since we promised we'd leave it alone and didn't but...I swear to you, he won't touch you again." Quinn said firmly.

"Well...as much as I appreciate that, you're right, your word doesn't count for much right now." Kurt replied flatly.

"Is there anything I can do that will prove to you how sorry I am?" she asked softly.

"No, there isn't." Kurt said honestly. Quinn nodded in understanding as she wiped a single tear away. "I don't hate you or the rest of the Glee club, just so you know."

\- 267 -

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"You don't?" she asked surprised.

"No, I don't. I think you're all idiots and I can't wait to kick your asses at Regional's but I don't hate you." he said with a small smile. "Just...be careful. You don't know what he's capable of."

"Oh, we have an idea." Quinn said without thinking. Kurt didn't know about his drug use and she hoped that he didn't ask her what she meant by that.

Fortunately for her, he didn't ask. "Yes, well, either way. Be careful."

"We will." Quinn assured him. "Everyone really misses you. They really want to talk to you."

"I know." Kurt said sadly. He missed his friends too, despite being upset with them; especially Finn. "I'll call them soon." Quinn nodded and sighed but said nothing else. "Do you want to dance with me?" he asked her smirking.

"I'd be honored." she replied smiling and let him lead her to the dance floor.

Late that night, after the dance was over and everyone had gone home, Kurt and Blaine were walking outside to the court yard where Blaine first asked Kurt out. They walked over to the bench, brushed the last bit of February's snow off, and cuddled underneath the stars for a while.

"I saw you and Quinn talking." Blaine commented as he caressed Kurt's arm.

"Yeah. We talked about their stupid plan and she kept apologizing." Kurt said quietly as he placed his head on Blaine's shoulder.

"They mean well, you know." Blaine said softly.

"I know." Kurt replied sighing. "I told her what really happened with Karofsky. I'm sure the New Directions already know by now. They're terrible gossipers."

"Maybe she won't tell them?" Blaine said.

\- 268 -

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"She will. I didn't make her promise not to so I'm sure she will." Kurt said yawning. "Are you ok with them knowing?" Blaine asked curiously.

Contents

"I guess. I mean, they're getting revenge on my behalf so they might as well know the whole truth." Kurt shrugged.

"You know I won't let anything happen to you, right? I won't let him come anywhere near you again." Blaine said seriously.

Kurt lifted his head to look at Blaine who was watching him. "I know you won't. I love you, Blaine, with all my whole heart and soul."

Blaine smiled softly at him before kissing him gently. "I love you, Kurt, with all my heart and soul."

Kurt smiled back at Blaine, kissing him once more before placing his head back on Blaine's shoulder. They stayed out there for a little while longer, enjoying the crisp air and clear night. Through everything, the stress, the worries, the fear, they had each other and at the end of the day, that's all that mattered.

\- 269 -

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Shattered

The Sunday after Valentine's Day, Blaine and Kurt had been cornered by their closest friends, forcing them to talk about what was going on with them. Wes had informed Nick, David, Jeff, Beatz, and Sebastian about his talk with Blaine and they refused to let the boys go another day without telling them what was going on. They were reluctant at first, neither one wanting to worry their friends but they eventually gave in. They took turns explaining to the guys why they had been so on edge as of late, comforting each other in the process.

The Warblers understood that the dreams were the beginning signs of trouble brewing and together they made a pact to keep extra eyes on both boys in case something stirred the pot. They also did their best to help Blaine and Kurt with whatever schoolwork they had in hopes that it would lessen their stress. Both boys had been extremely grateful for it. Having the guys there, aware of their worries, had indeed calmed them down. The next two weeks had gone by without a single nightmare and they finally felt like things were getting back to normal.

Thanks to their friends helping to keep them level-headed and the nightmares momentarily at bay, they were more than ready for their upcoming Regional's competition. Everyone was confident that they would be blowing their competitors out of the water. So confidant, in fact, that they cancelled their last few rehearsals in order to give them all vocal rest. Come the weekend of Regional's, Blaine and Kurt had basically forgotten their problems and were over the moon to perform.

"Warblers, listen up!" Wes called out from the front of the school bus. They had just arrived at the school that was hosting Regional's and he wanted to get one final pep talk in before they entered the building. "I want you guys to relax and keep your heads on straight in there. I know I've worked you all to death these past few weeks-"

"That's putting it lightly!" Beatz called out.

Wes ignored his comment and the snickers from the boys as he continued his speech. "As I was saying, I know I got a little carried away but-"

"A little?" Jeff chimed in.

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Wes rolled his eyes and continued. "But I truly feel that my craziness paid off. We are going to bring nothing but pride to Dalton today, whether we win or lose. With that said, don't think about winning and don't think about the possibility for Nationals. Just enjoy yourselves up on that stage. I'm proud of each and every one of you for all the hard work and dedication you put in and I'm proud to call you my brothers."

"Awe, Wes, you softy." David said smiling.

"That was beautiful, man. I think I'm going to cry." Beatz said sniffling as he wiped a non-existent tear away.

Wes shook his head at his friends but didn't stop the smirk that appeared on his face. "Remember boys, be on your best behavior. Let's go."

The Warblers walked off the bus excitedly, ready to show their competition up. After weeks of hard rehearsals, they were itching to get on stage. When Kurt stepped off, he walked over to Wes who was doing a quick headcount.

"Hey, Wes, I know that we have to do vocal warm-ups but...do you think...could I maybe go see the New Directions first?" Kurt asked him quietly.

"Sure, Kurt." Wes replied smiling. "Take someone with you, I don't want you to go alone. Don't take too long either. I want you and Blaine to go over your harmonies one last time."

Kurt smiled slightly before leaning forward to leave a light peck on Wes' cheek. "Thanks, Wes." Wes nodded and smiled before returning to his head count.

Kurt walked over to where Jeff, Blaine, and Beatz were chatting and pulled Jeff off to the side. "Wanna come with me to see the New Directions?"

"Hell yeah!" Jeff exclaimed. "I'll take any excuse to see my girl."

Kurt informed Blaine that he was going to see his friends with Jeff, assuring him that he was fine, and walked off backstage to find them. He had spoken to Quinn a few times since Valentine's Day but

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continued to ignore the others. Now that they were all in the same place, he knew there would be no avoiding them. He figured he might as well talk to them as a group and wish them luck. After a few minutes of searching, he saw Artie's wheelchair entering the room he assumed was theirs.

"Knock, knock." Kurt said quietly from the doorway.

"Kurt!" Finn said loudly as he quickly walked over to him.

"Hey, baby-doll." Jeff said to Quinn smiling.

"Hey, rock-star." Quinn all but purred as she walked over to him. She immediately wrapped her arms his neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss, not caring that all her friends were there watching.

"How are you doing, man?" Finn asked Kurt as Kurt walked further into the room. "Fine I guess." Kurt shrugged.

"Kurt?" Brittany said softly. "Do you hate me?"

"No, Britt, I could never hate you." Kurt told her quietly.

"Then why have you ignored my calls?" she asked sadly.

"Because I was upset." He told her. "I still am." He told the rest of New Directions. "I just came over here to wish you good luck."

"Kurt-"

"Don't Mercedes, please." Kurt stopped her. "I know all the reasons why you went behind my back. That doesn't change the fact that you still did it."

"Listen, Kurt, I'm not going to apologize for what we're doing because that jackass deserves it." Santana said firmly. "I'm only sorry that you found out. I didn't want you to freak out over nothing."

"It's not over nothing, Santana." Kurt said irritably.

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"You're right, it's not. That doesn't change the fact that we're still going through with it." Santana said crossing her arms.

"And I'm not asking you to stop because I know you won't listen." Kurt quipped. "Look, I didn't come over here to argue with you guys. I just came to say good luck so, good luck." Kurt turned to walk away but was stopped by Finn's grip on his shoulder.

"Dude, wait. Just...hear us out." Finn said pleadingly.

"I'll hear you out after your disastrous plan fails." Kurt told him.

"But...I miss you man. We all do." Finn said softly.

"I miss you too." Kurt admitted quietly. "But I'm still upset. You lied to me, you went behind my back, and now I'm terrified that he's going to come find me."

"He wo-"

"No more empty promises, Noah." Kurt said quickly. "Just...no more. Now, Jeff and I need to get back so I wish you all the best of luck. You're going to need it." He said smirking.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Hummel." Santana replied.

Jeff and Kurt exchanged glances but said nothing. "Trust me, you're going to need it." Kurt said confidently.

"Is that so?" Rachel asked unconvinced.

"Yes it is." Jeff told her. "You guys may be talented as shit, but you don't have our secret weapon." He said, sending Kurt a wink.

"I'll have you know that we wrote-" Santana stopped Rachel from speaking anymore by covering her mouth with her hand.

"Bring it on, preppy boy." Santana challenged.

Jeff merely chuckled at her before giving Quinn a quick kiss. "Let's go, Kurt." - 273 -

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"Later, New Directions. I'll let you look at our trophy after we win." Kurt said in a sing song voice before walking out of the room with Jeff.

"There's no way they're going to beat us. There's just no way." Rachel said shaking her head.

"I don't care if we win." Brittany said quietly. "I just want my dolphin back."

"We'll get him back, Britt, don't worry." Santana assured her. "He'll thank us in the end."

"I don't want him to thank us." Mercedes said sadly. "Britt's right. I just want my best friend back."

"And we'll get him back." Santana said firmly. "After what Quinn told us what happened, there's no way I'm going to back down now. Karofsky's got to pay, simple as that."

"But what if he does go after Kurt?" Tina asked seriously.

"He won't because we won't let him. If that means stalking his every move so be it. I'm not letting him anywhere near Kurt again." Santana told them.

"Santana's right. We're going through with this and we'll stalk him if we have to. Ain't no way he's touching Kurt again." Puck said nodding.

"I hope you're right." Mercedes said shrugging.

"New Directions! Are you ready to blow the roof off this place?!" Mr. Schue said excitedly when he walked in. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the sour expressions.

"Nothing, Mr. Schue. We're ready." Rachel confirmed. "Alright, then! Let's take our seats."

The Warblers were back stage waiting to be announced when Kurt got the sudden nerves. He had been confident for days but now that they were minutes away from performing, he was starting to panic. The first choir, Aural Intensity, had done a mediocre job at performing so Kurt was sure they'd beat them. The

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New Directions, who performed next, sang original songs which Kurt was not expecting. How the hell are we supposed to compete with that?

"Kurt, are you ok?" Blaine asked him with concern.

"Yes?" Kurt said unsurely.

"Nervous?" Blaine asked with a small smile.

"Yes." Kurt replied instantly. "They did original songs, Blaine! How are we supposed to beat that?"

"We are going to beat that with your flawless vocals and our moving performance." Blaine said sweetly. "They may have written their songs, but they don't have the passion or depth of our performance and most importantly, they don't have you."

"You really think we can beat them?" Kurt asked him.

"I'm positive that we will. If we don't it's because the judges are idiots." Blaine said seriously.

"They look like idiots." Kurt replied, glancing through the curtains at them.

"Trust me, we're going to blow them away." Blaine whispered before kissing his cheek lightly. "Let's get in position."

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting Blaine walk him to their places. Remember, sing to them. Lose yourself in the song. Let them feel your pain. You can do this. You. Can. Do. This.

"Please welcome the Dalton Academy Warblers!" the announcer said.

Kurt kept his gaze down as the curtains rolled up. He placed himself in the mind set of sharing his pain with the world. He glanced over at Wes, who gave him a quick nod, and stepped forward to sing.

Made a wrong turn, once or twice Dug my way out, blood and fire

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Bad decisions, that's alright Welcome to my silly life

The Warblers hummed softly behind Kurt as while signing the words to the audience. None of the New Direction members hid their surprise at Kurt stepping forward to sing nor did they miss the pain in his voice just from the first few lyrics. Kurt sang those first few lyrics glancing at his hands. He then looked up at the judges and audience members, anguish and pain written all over his face.

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood

Miss knowing it's all good, it didn't slow me down Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated Look, I'm still around

The Warblers joined the chorus, half of them signing the lyrics while the other surrounded Kurt as a force field.

Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel

Like you're less than, less than perfect

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing You are perfect to me!

The Warblers fell back, letting Kurt and Blaine take center stage. Just like before, Kurt sang to the audience while Blaine sang to him.

You're so mean, (you're so mean) when you talk (when you talk) about yourself, you were wrong Change the voices (change the voices) in your head, (in your head) make them like you instead So complicated, look happy, you'll make it!

Filled with so much hatred, such a tired game

It's enough! I've done all I can think of

Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same (Ooh-ooh)

The audience was captivated by the way the Warblers performed. Not only was there raw emotion in Kurt's voice, but the way the Warblers acted like his rock blew them away. Burt and Carole both were teary eyed as Kurt left all of his emotions on stage.- 276 -

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Oh, pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel

Like you're less than, less than perfect

Pretty, pretty please if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing You are perfect to me

Kurt stepped off to one side of the stage, covering his ears as if he had headphones on, and Blaine stepped to the center, putting forth his own pain into the lyrics.

The whole world's scared so I swallow the fear

The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer So cool in line, and we try try try

But we try too hard and it's a waste of my time

Done looking for the critics, 'cause they're everywhere They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair Exchange ourselves, and we do it all the time

Why do we do that? Why do I do that?

Why do I do that?

(Yeeeah)

Kurt and Blaine took their positions back with the Warblers as they danced around the stage. The choreography was simple but effective. Every Warbler had a partner; one attempted to run as if running from their fears and problems while the other held them back, begging them to stay and face their demons.

Yeah, oh, oh baby, pretty please!

Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel Like you're less than, less than perfect Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel Like you're nothing, you are perfect to me

You're perfect, you're perfect!

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel

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Like you're nothing, you are perfect to me.

The audience erupted in applause when the song ended, many of them wiping their tears away. As soon as the clapping started to die down, the Warblers began to perform "Raise Your Glass." The judges were easily impressed at how well their transition of songs was and they loved how the boys put their emotions into the song. It would no doubt be a close call.

When the announcer proclaimed the winners, Kurt was sure that he blacked out for a moment. While the audience erupted in applause, he stood there frozen, not even hearing the winner's name. It wasn't until he felt Blaine pick him up and spin him around that it hit him. They had won. The Warblers had actually beaten The New Directions and they were going to go Nationals in New York.

"Oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!" Kurt exclaimed as Blaine spun him.

"We did it! We won, baby! We won!" Blaine replied excitedly.

Before any of the New Directions could cross the stage to congratulate the Warblers on their win, the boys were already heading backstage. Many of the Dalton staff and most of their family members would be waiting for them by the bus and they wanted to share their excitement with them.

"Come on, let's meet them by their bus. I need to talk to Kurt." Finn told his friends as he quickly exited the stage.

Over by the Warblers bus, friends, staff members, and family alike were chanting "Warblers" as the boys made their way out. It had been a long time since the Warblers had made it to Nationals and they were all excited to have been able to witness such an inspiring moment. When Kurt saw his dad standing there, he let go of Blaine's hand and ran over to the man. Burt chuckled as his son threw his arms around him, pride swelling in his heart.

"You were incredible, Kurt. I am so proud of you." Burt said thickly.

"You're not going to cry are you?" Kurt joked as he backed away from the embrace. - 278 -

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"Oh stop. Can't a man tell his son that he's proud of him without him crying?" Burt asked smiling, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I don't know, Dad. You tell me." Kurt teased. Burt laughed as he wiped a few tears away and embraced Kurt one more time.

"Leave some of that for me." Carole said smirking. Kurt let go of his embrace with his dad and hugged Carole tightly. "That was beautiful, Kurt. You did amazing." She said warmly.

"Thanks, Carole." Kurt replied smiling.

The New Directions reached the Warbler bus just in time to hear that they would be celebrating their win at the pizza place around the corner. While they were saddened that they hadn't won, they were also undeniably proud of Kurt. They had never seen Kurt perform so flawlessly before and they knew that the pain he used for the song was because of what Karofsky did to him. Seeing Kurt's pain fueled their desire to get Karofsky back. It also made them realize just how much they missed their friend.

"Kurt!" Finn called out.

Kurt turned away from his dad to see the entire Glee club waiting for him. He sighed heavily as he walked over to them, only to get tackled halfway by Brittany. Kurt smiled warmly as the blond hugged him tightly. After a moment, he realized that Brittany was quietly crying on him.

"Britt, why are you crying?" he asked her softly.

"Because you're so beautiful." She answered. "I'm sorry for going behind your back. Please don't be mad at me anymore."

Kurt tightened his grip on Brittany as the rest of the Glee club approached them. "I'm not mad at you, Britt. Please stop crying. You're too pretty to cry."

"Lord Tubbington told me that when I cry unicorns die." She said as they parted.

"He's absolutely right." Kurt told her endearingly as he wiped her tears away. "You guys were amazing out there. Those songs were really spectacular." He told his old friends.

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"We were." Rachel said as she stepped forward. "But you...I've never been so moved Kurt. You guys deserved to win."

"Man-hands is right. That performance was really something else." Santana said softly.

"Kurt, we don't want to fight anymore." Finn told him quietly. "We really miss you and watching you sing

like that...we're just really sorry."

"I know you are, Finn." Kurt replied with a small smile. "I understand why you're doing what you're doing

and I understand that nothing I say will stop your plan. I'm just...I'm scared."

"We know that, boo." Mercedes said sadly. "But we swear nothing's going to happen to you again."

"Yeah, dude. We got this handled." Puck assured him.

Kurt sighed and nodded but said nothing. As worried as he was, he couldn't stay mad at his friends anymore. They were a big part of him and even though he was a Warbler, they were his family too.

"Hey, everything ok over here?" Blaine asked as he walked up to the group.

"Yeah, everything's ok." Kurt assured him.

"We're heading out. Do you guys want to join us?" Blaine asked the New Directions.

"Sure...if it's ok with Kurt." Finn said, glancing cautiously at his step-brother.

"Sure." Kurt said with a slight nod.

"Cool." Finn replied with his signature goofy grin. Kurt had forgotten how much he loved that grin until that moment.

"We'll get Mr. Schue to take us and we'll meet you there." Rachel said. Blaine and Kurt nodded before walking back towards the bus.

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The celebratory pizza party quickly turned into a food fight despite the adults present. There was something about Puck's presence that turned many of the Warblers into rambunctious teenage boys. Cooper had paid the restaurant extra to cover the mess the boys left and had somehow convinced the other adults to let them have their fun. When Kurt asked Blaine how Cooper did it, Blaine simply laughed and told him that it was part of Cooper's charm.

"You know how the guys call me Dapper Mr. Anderson?" Blaine had asked Kurt who nodded in response. "Where do you think I learned it from?" Kurt had then glanced over to Cooper who had all the adults, including his father and Mr. Schue, completely captivated by whatever he was telling him.

Once back at Dalton, Wes gave the Warblers a stern talking to about proper public etiquette. While some looked away shamefaced, the others immediately blamed Puck for egging them on. Wes didn't care who was at fault, he only care that they made fools of themselves while wearing Dalton colors. With the exception of a few boys who hadn't participated in the nonsense, Wes punished the others by making them clean every nook and cranny of the house to teach them a lesson.

"Maybe now you'll understand what those poor people had to suffer through after we left that place completely destroyed." Wes had told them firmly, granting him several glares from the guys.

Kurt and Blaine spent that Sunday hanging out with the guys in the common room. They were wrapped up in each other's arms while the Warblers talked about Nationals and what they would be doing in New York on their free day there. Blaine had been content on sitting there with Kurt for the rest of the afternoon but Kurt had other plans. He made sure to trail his fingers over Blaine's extra sensitive areas whenever no one was paying attention. Blaine did his best to ignore him, especially since Cooper was planning on stopping by to take them to dinner but when he felt a single finger dip into his pants and slightly down his butt crack, he could no longer ignore his boyfriend's attempts at attention.

"Kurt, what are you doing?" Blaine asked him seriously.

Kurt leaned in to Blaine, letting his lips brush against Blaine's ear before whispering. "I feel naughty."

Blaine's mouth became suddenly dry as Kurt backed away slowly. Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes, surprised at how dark they had gotten. "Kurt." Blaine said breathily.

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Kurt winked at him before unwrapping himself from Blaine's grip and seductively walking over to their dorm, Blaine's eyes not once leaving his boyfriend's body.

"Should we stay away from your room?" David asked him smirking, bringing his attention back to the group.

"Yeah, good idea." Blaine replied quickly before following Kurt out, ignoring the catcalls from Sebastian and Thad.

When Blaine entered the room, Kurt was standing there waiting for him with his back turned to the door. Blaine walked up to Kurt, wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, and attached his lips onto Kurt's neck. Kurt hummed in contentment before turning around to look at Blaine. They immediately started to kiss fervently, Blaine's hands tugging at the back of Kurt's shirt while Kurt's hand tugged at his collar.

"Cooper's going to be here soon." Blaine mumbled against Kurt's lips.

"Well then we better hurry." Kurt replied, backing away just enough to pull his shirt off. Blaine followed suit before attaching his lips unto Kurt's collar bone.

Both boys were too entranced in each other to hear their door open. Mr. Anderson walked into his son's room, shocked and disgusted by the sight in front of him. It only took him a moment to react and when he did, he was fueled by pure rage. He took two swift steps forward, grabbed Blaine by his hair, and pulled him back roughly.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Mr. Anderson yelled as he shook Blaine vigorously. "YOU DISGUSTING FAGGOT!"

Kurt jumped back in fear and shock at the looming presence of Blaine's father. Blaine managed to get out of his father's grip, instantly walking in front of Kurt to keep his as far away from his father as possible.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Blaine asked shakily.

"DON'T YOU DARE USE THAT LANGUAGE WITH ME! I'M YOU'RE FATHER! I DEMAND RESPECT!" Mr.

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Anderson bellowed.

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"Respect?" Blaine said incredulously. "The last thing you deserve from me is respect!" he spat at his father weakly.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Mr. Anderson yelled as he took a step towards his son. Blaine took a step back, shielding Kurt away, who was holding onto Blaine's shoulders tightly. "HOW DARE YOU LET THAT DISGUSTING PIECE OF FILTH TOUCH YOU IN FRONT OF ME?!"

"Don't talk about him like that!" Blaine said angrily. Mr. Anderson reached over, grabbed Blaine by the hair once more, and pulled him away from Kurt's grasp.

"Blaine!" Kurt said desperately.

Mr. Anderson growled at Kurt before pushing him away. "STAY AWAY FROM MY SON YOU FILTHY QUEER!"

"Kurt." Blaine said brokenly, wincing in pain. "Cooper." He mouthed silently. Kurt instantly understood, running past Mr. Anderson and Blaine, grabbing his shirt of the floor in one swift motion and then out the door.

"Kurt, what's going on?" Sebastian asked him worriedly. Mr. Anderson's yells could be heard through the entire house, sending the Warbler boys into panic.

"Blaine's dad is in there! I need to get Cooper!" Kurt said desperately. Sebastian immediately took out his cell and handed to Kurt to call while he rounded up the Warblers.

"Hello?" Cooper answered unsurely at the unknown number.

"Your dad's here!" Kurt said quickly.

"Kurt?"

"Yes! Your dad! He's here and he's in the room with Blaine and he's got Blaine by the hair and-" "I'm right around the corner." Cooper said before hanging up.

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Mr. Anderson had let go of his hold on Blaine but continued his verbal attack. "I THOUGHT YOU'D CHANGE! I THOUGHT YOU GREW OUT OF THIS REPULSIVE PHASE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET YOUR MOTHER CONVINCE ME TO LET YOU TO COME HOME!" Blaine cowered away from his father, unaware of the tears that were streaming down his face. "LOOK AT YOU! CRYING LIKE A BITCH! HOW MUCH MORE PATHETIC CAN YOU GET?! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A MAN!" Mr. Anderson moved his hands to his waist and began to unbuckle his belt.

"N-no! Don't! Please!" Blaine begged. His father had never hit him before but he had also never seen his father so angry.

"YOU CAN'T EVEN STAND UP FOR YOURSELF! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DECIDE TO BE A FAGGOT!" Mr. Anderson yelled as he pulled his belt off.

"Please, Dad!" Blaine begged again.

"If you want to cry like a bitch, I'll give a damn reason to!" Mr. Anderson said through gritted teeth before striking Blaine across his bare chest. Blaine fell to the floor sobbing as his father whipped him with the belt, feeling as hopeless and as lost as he had when he first arrived at Dalton.

"I have to get in there!" Kurt said desperately as he tried to re-enter the room.

"Kurt, you can't!" Beatz stopped him.

"But Blaine! I can't leave him!" Kurt yelled at his friend.

"You can't help him! You'll only get hurt too!" Wes said thickly. He wanted to burst through the room just as much as Kurt but he knew that it would dangerous.

"We can't leave him!" Kurt cried out just as Cooper ran into the hall. "Cooper!" Kurt screamed.

Cooper ran straight past him and into the room just in time to see his father strike Blaine once more. He ran over to his father, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled his away from Blaine.

"Wha-Cooper?" Mr. Anderson said in surprise. Cooper ignored him and knelt down next to Blaine. - 284 -

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"It's ok, I'm here." He whispered to Blaine who had his head buried in his arms.

"Don't coddle him!" Mr. Anderson said angrily to his oldest, momentarily ignoring the fact that it was the first time he'd seen his son in years. "All that's doing is telling him that it's ok to be a faggot!"

"How dare you speak about him like that?!" Cooper said snapped. "How dare you touch him?!"

"I'm teaching him to be a man! Something my mother has obviously neglected to do!" Mr. Anderson yelled back. "And what the hell are you doing here? You were in Cairo the last time I checked."

"I came back! And thank God I did! How can you treat your son like this?!" Cooper asked, taking a step forward.

"I'm treating him like the disgusting, pathetic, queer that he is!" Mr. Anderson retorted.

"You are seriously fucked up in the head!" Cooper screamed.

"I am your father and you will respect me!" Mr. Anderson said angrily as he stepped forward. There was a time when he would've been able to intimidate Cooper with his intense glare. There was a time when Cooper would've never talked back to his father like he had out of respect. Those times were over the second he found out about what was going on with Blaine.

"I will do no such thing! Respect is earned, not freely given!" Cooper snapped back. "And you are not my father! Not anymore!"

"HOW DARE YOU!"

"GET OUT! GET OUT BEFORE I CALL THE COPS!" Cooper screamed in his father's face just as campus security reached the room.

"This is not over!" Mr. Anderson said with finality and stormed out of the room.

As soon as Mr. Anderson walked out, Kurt, Sebastian, Trent, Wes, David, Jeff, Nick, Thad, and Beatz rushed into the room. "Blaine!" Kurt cried out. At the sound of Kurt's voice, Blaine looked up from his arms to the

boy he loved.

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Kurt fell to his knees in front of Blaine, pulling him into an embrace. Blaine gripped onto Kurt's shirt in desperation, sobbing into Kurt's chest in shame. Kurt swayed them back and forth, instantly singing in an attempt to soothe his boyfriend.

"Can any of you tell me how the hell my father got in here?" Cooper asked the other boys, all whom shook their heads no. "Where's the Dean's office?"

"I'll take you." Wes volunteered.

Cooper nodded before turning his attention back to Blaine and Kurt. He kneeled down next to them, wrapping protective arms around them both before talking. "Nothing he said was true, Blaine. You've done nothing wrong. Do you understand me?" Blaine nodded although he didn't believe his brother's words. "I'll be back." He said before kissing both boys on the forehead and letting Wes lead him to the Dean's office.

Sebastian, Thad, Trent, David, Nick, Beatz, and Jeff all huddled around Kurt and Blaine, singing along softly with Kurt who was crying right along with Blaine. What they had just experienced was the first for them and no one knew what to do. All they knew was that Blaine needed them so they stayed and watched all of Blaine's walls come crashing down.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The Darkness In Us

Cooper and Dean Morrison sat quietly in her office for long while, the dean processing the information Cooper just shared with her and Cooper still trying to wrap his mind around it all. It had been years since anything so intense had happened in her school and it hurt her heart that her students were going through such turmoil. She knew what needed to be done, she knew what the next step was, but she herself was on edge about it. She hasn't had to dwell in her own demons in a long time and now she would have to tell her story in order to help her boys.

"Dean Morrison-"

"Please, call me Heather." She said tiredly.

"Heather, what are we going to do now?" Cooper asked her seriously. "I can't leave my brother like this. I can't let him feel like this is his fault when it's not but I don't know what to do. I've never seen my father like that. I don't...I don't know how to fix this." He said desperately.

"I'm sorry to say that you can't really fix this. Time will make it better, but this will always be a part of him." Heather said sadly.

"So then what now?" Cooper asked in frustration.

"Now, we talk." She said simply as she opened her top drawer. She pulled out an old metal key and gestured at Cooper to follow her.

By the time Wes made it back to Kurt band Blaine's room, the boys had stopped crying but were still holding on to each other tightly. Kurt was still singing softly as they swayed back and forth, Blaine clutching on to him as he tried to even out his breathing. Wes said nothing as he squeezed in between David and Beatz. He pulled his knees up to his chest, holding himself with his arms, and settling his head on his knees before swaying gently himself. Wes thrived on control and the fact that he had absolutely no control over what was happening was making him edgy. All the guys were.

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David crawled into his shell of silence he usually only used with his family, Beatz' anger was roaring on the inside despite the calm exterior, Nick, Jeff, and Trent were huddled up together, much like puppies in need of comfort, and Sebastian was playing with a piece of string intently while Thad held on to him from behind, staring off into space. The Warblers were so connected with each other that when something happened to one of them, it affected them all. Some might say the friendship and closeness of the boys was not normal but no one cared. That's what Dalton was about. That's why Dalton was built. It was never just a school but a place to heal, a place to be free, and a place to grow.

"Where's Cooper?" Blaine asked quietly, his voice completely void of emotion.

"He's speaking with the dean. I tried staying but they told me to come back." Wes replied sullenly.

Blaine nodded in response but said nothing. They sat there for a little while longer in silence, no one knowing what to say or wanting to fill the air with meaningless conversation. Everything seemed so trivial. Even to Kurt, Sebastian, and Trent who all had darker pasts then the rest. None of them felt like their own tribulations could even begin to compare to Blaine's. While yes, they each had their share of demons, seeing Blaine's breakdown gave them a new perspective. They at least had parents who supported their sexuality. They couldn't understand how someone could be so horrible to their child and they knew that they had been lucky to have loving parents in their lives.

There was a soft knock on the door, grabbing the attention of the boys. They all turned as the door opened, revealing a lost looking Cooper, followed by a sad Heather.

"Hello, boys." Heather said softly.

Hello, Dean Morrison." They all mumbled in unison.

Heather took a seat on Blaine's bed while Cooper stood by the door. "I'm sorry about your father, Blaine." Heather said quietly. "It's never easy having a parent who doesn't love and support you." A few tears silently fell from Blaine's eyes but he said nothing. "I know this is hard, believe me, I know. But we need to talk, all of us." The boys glanced at each in confusion and waited for the dean to continue speaking. "Whenever something truly horrific happens here, we have a full disclosure night in order to start the process of healing."

"Full disclosure night?" Kurt questioned.

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"Yes." Heather nodded. "Am I correct to assume that the boys got you to talk about your demons when you first arrived?" Kurt nodded slowly, unsure of how he felt about what the dean was getting at. "Well, full disclosure night is the same thing except we talk about everything. We'll share the deepest, darkest parts of our demons with each other and we'll let ourselves become completely vulnerable. Now Blaine, I would never force you to talk about your father but your brother feels like it's time and I'm in full support."

Blaine glanced over at Cooper who was watching him intently. "It's time I found out about everything, Squirt and who better to find it out with than your closest friends."

Blaine looked away from Cooper, burying his head into Kurt's shoulder once more before speaking up. "I don't...how would we do this?" he asked brokenly.

"We'll just talk. I'll share my own personal past and whoever else is willing to open up can too. This is about love and support. It's about sharing our deepest pains and letting people in when we would normally shut them out." Heather told him.

"I'll do it." Kurt said immediately.

"Baby, you don't have to." Blaine replied, lifting his head off Kurt to look at him. "I don't want you to open yourself up like that just for me."

"But I want to." Kurt said softly. "Sure, it'll be hard but I want to do this for you, for us." "Me too." Trent said. "I'll talk about everything for you too, Blaine."

"Same." Sebastian chimed in.

"You guys-"

"You won't convince us otherwise, Blaine." Sebastian said firmly.

"Bastian's right. You're not alone in this and if we have to delve into our own issues to help you then we will." Trent said softly.

Blaine glanced at his friends, all of whom were giving him encouraging smiles. Should I do this? Should I let the guys open up their own wounds just for me? ...No. I can't do that. I can't let them suffer for

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Contents me. I don't deserve for them to do this for me. Kurt could sense that Blaine was trying to talk himself out of doing it and he could see the worry in his eyes. He knew Blaine better than Blaine knew himself sometimes and he was certain that even through all the crap that just happened to him, he was more

worried about putting his friends through any kind of turmoil than he was about his own demons.

"Baby, you listen to me right now." Kurt said firmly. "Bastian, Trent, and I would not be doing this if we didn't feel like we could. We wouldn't be doing this unless we truly wanted. Don't you dare think otherwise. Don't you dare think that we're going to leave you alone in this."

"But, Kurt, I don't want you to have to open up your wounds just because of me." Blaine said softly. "I don't want you guys to suffer just because I'm suffering."

"Blaine, we're Warblers, brothers. Of course we're suffering because you're suffering. That's just the way it is." Wes said.

"Yeah, man. We love you, you know we do. Don't shut us out now when you need us the most." Jeff told him.

Blaine knew they were right. He knew that part of the reason of his hesitancy was because he wanted to hide away from it all. That's what he did. That's always what he did. He hides and cries and prays to whoever is listening that the darkness will just fade away but it doesn't. It only becomes darker and more suffocating. That's what led him up to the cutting in the first place. It was his release. When his life was filled with nothing but pain, it was the only pain he could control. It made him feel alive, even if he felt like a coward later. Even if the darkness grew tenfold once his physical body reacted to the loss of blood, the few minutes of life he felt had been worth it.

But that was then. Things were different now. He wasn't surrounded in constant fear or darkness anymore. He didn't need hurt himself in order to feel alive. All he needed was Kurt and his brothers. He needed to sing. He needed the light at the end of the tunnel, even if it was a long journey there. He couldn't let the darkness consume him anymore. He couldn't leave Kurt behind to face his own demons without him. Kurt needed him. Kurt needed him just like he needed Kurt. He glanced at his friends and his brother once more, forcing himself to open up and feel the love and support they were sending his way. He needed to do it. He needed to let those closest to him understand why he was so lost. He knew it would be hard and he knew it would be painful to relive the memories he stored away for years. But he needed to do it.

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"Ok." Blaine said softly.

"Ok?" Cooper questioned.

"Y-yeah, ok. L-let's talk." Blaine told him, his eyes already filling up with tears.

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"Alright, then. I need you boys to get back to your dorm rooms and get whatever you need to make yourself comfortable. Be it a blanket, a stuffed animal, an old shoe, whatever. Get your things and meet me in front of the gymnasium." Heather said as she stood up.

The boys nodded quickly before running off to their rooms. Heather walked out after them, heading over to her own room to get the quilt her grandmother had made for her. Cooper took a seat on Blaine's bed while Kurt and Blaine changed their clothes. They both dressed in their pajamas, knowing that the other guys probably would too. They grabbed the duvet they usually slept with off of Kurt's bed, along with Blainey-boo and Kurtie, and headed out with Cooper to the gymnasium.

The guys had been waiting for them in the hall, all dressed in their pajama's. Trent, Jeff, and Beatz were carrying their childhood stuffed animal and the others had blankets wrapped around them. Together they walked through the halls of Dalton in silence. They were in for a long evening and they all knew it. When they reached the gymnasium, they found the dean waiting for them. She had her quilt folded in her arms, a small smile on her face, and the metal key in her hand.

"Follow me." She said softly before turning around and walking into through the double doors.

They followed her in, confused as to why they were there of all places. Heather led them to the farthest door of the gym which had an old padlock on it. The boys always thought that the room was storage for equipment and were shocked to see that it was in fact a small, windowless classroom. There weren't any desks or chairs in the room but instead they found several couches and loveseats forming a circle.

"Sit wherever you like." Heather informed them as she took the only single chair. She opened up her quilt, threw it around herself, took off her shoes, and climbed into the chair. She folded her legs beneath her and pulled the quilt tightly around herself. "Cooper, could you please close the door and lock it?"

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Cooper had watched Heather as she made herself comfortable on the chair and he couldn't help but find it endearing. He had never met a woman like her and the fact that she was willing to open up her personal life to help his brother blew him away. He smiled softly at her and nodded before locking the door behind them.

The boys all settled in different couches. Jeff and Nick had chosen a loveseat and draped Nick's blanket around them. Wes and Beatz did the same with Wes' blanket on a different loveseat. Trent, Thad, and Sebastian chose one of the bigger couches to share, Sebastian sitting in the middle while Thad and Trent cuddled next to him. Kurt and Blaine chose the couch closest to the dean, their arms wrapped tightly around each other with Kurtie and Blainey-boo sitting on their laps. Cooper took the seat next Blaine and draped his arm over Blaine's shoulder.

"Is everyone settled?" Heather asked the boys. The group nodded that they were so Heather continued. "I'm sure you're all confused by this room so I'll start with a little unknown Dalton history. When this school was built, it wasn't just for the intention of education. It was built so that young men who had nowhere else to go had a safe haven. This room had been built solely for the purpose of group therapy. As time went on, the boys learned how to help each other without the need of this room so it became the emergency therapy room. This is also the room new teachers and new deans gather at during their time of need. You see, most of the Dalton teachers have had a rough past and Dalton was the place that saved them. This room is full of pain and sorrow, it's full of secrets. Whatever is stated in this room stays in this room. Understood?"

The boys nodded fervently, curiosity growing as Heather started her story. "I was 9 years old the first time I was left alone in the house. My father had lost his job and was off drinking at the bar and my mother was picking up extra shifts at the hospital to pay the bills. That was also the first night my father hit me." Heather's gaze fell to floor as she shared her past with the boys. "I remember being so hungry and I remember thinking that my parents wouldn't want me not to eat so I went in the kitchen and tried cooking for myself. I ended up eating cereal because I was too afraid to turn the stove on but I made a huge mess in my attempts of trying to figure out what to eat. I cleaned it as best as I could but there were still tons of items out of place and the counters were really sticky since I spilled juice."

"My father got home really late and he was trashed, completely wasted. He saw the mess in the kitchen and blew up. I had fallen asleep sticky and dirty in their bad, only adding to his anger. He yelled for a while and I kept crying and asking him what I did wrong. I knew it was because of the kitchen but I couldn't understand why he was so angry. I kept telling him I was sorry for making the mess but I was hungry and I

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wanted to eat. After a while of him scolding me and telling me to quit making excuses, he hit me. He slapped me right across the face and yelled at me to get out of his sight. I ran to room, hid in my closet, and just cried. I had never been so scared." Heather voice was shaky, tears of her past streaming down her face, and for whatever reason, Cooper really wanted to comfort the woman. Before he could decide whether or not it would be appropriate to walk over to her, she continued.

"As the years went on, it only got worse. My mother continued her double shifts and my father continued on his downward spiral. I learned very quickly not to anger him while he was drunk. It always led to him hitting me. I even told my mom but she didn't believe me. Or she decided to ignore it. Either way, I was on my own. I avoided him as much as I could. I stayed at friend's houses and barely spoke in front of him out of fear of his backlash. It was ok for a little while. I got really good at hiding myself away from him. When I turned 15, I met my first boyfriend. We never went out because I knew my father wouldn't like it so we snuck around. I would say I was staying at a friend's house and go over to his place instead. He was a good guy. He wasn't just cute but he had a really good heart. He was one of the few people I had ever told about the problems at home and he always did his best to make me happy."

"I had gotten used to walking home or getting rides from friends since my parents were around so I had never expected my father to show up at my school. Matt and I had been kissing goodbye right as my father drove up and he was furious. He beat me that night, worse than he ever had before. Things got really bad after that. He became obsessed about knowing exactly where I was and what I was doing. He quit allowing me to go to my friend's house, always telling me that he refused to let his only daughter become a whore. The next three years were terrible. I was basically on house arrest, I became depressed, and I started buying drugs from the kids at school just so I could have an escape anytime he decided to take his anger out on me."

"He monitored everything I did. I don't know if he ever knew of the drug usage or if he just didn't care but he never brought it up. I got smart after a little while though. I even set up this alarm in the hallway that would let me know when someone was headed towards my room. By the time I was 18, the only friends I had were the ones I made online. I would sit in my closet with my laptop and talk to other kids with abusive parents. It was the only thing that kept me sane. Anytime the alarm chimed on my computer, I'd run out of my closet and sit on my bed pretending to do schoolwork. Sometimes we'd fight, sometimes we'd argue but it had mellowed out."

"In the time that I talked to people online, I kept hearing about this all boy school that saved broken girls like me. I never believed it but the rumors were there. A few nights before my graduation, my parents got

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into a major fight. My Columbia acceptance letter came in and my father refused to let me go. He told my mother that it was too expensive and I didn't deserve to go. She argued back with him but he was drunk of course so he hit her. I tried stopping it and he hit me and he went back and forth between the two of us like it was a game. He eventually left for the night and we were both a mess. I tried talking to her but she wouldn't even look at me. That's when I realized that she had known about him abusing me. She had known and never stopped him."

"That night, I took all the pills I had and curled up in the closet. No one cared about me so why live? Why bother anymore?" Heather wiped her tears away while the boys digested the fact that their dean just admitted to them her attempted suicide. "My mother found me not too long after I passed out and called 911. I woke up in the hospital a few days later. The first person I saw was an old woman in a suit. Before I could even say anything, she spoke. She told me that things would get better if I refused to be the victim and she told me that I wasn't alone in the world. She was only there for a few minutes but the oddity of her presence really stuck with me. She slipped me a card before she left, which at the time I figured was some helpline. I tossed the card on the bedside table without even looking at it."

"I spent a few days in the hospital. My mother was by my side most of the time but I was so angry with her that I ignored her. My father never showed up. When I got home, my mother had to work and he was already drunk. He immediately started yelling at me and I just didn't care. I let him yell. I didn't fight when he slapped me. I didn't fight when he punched me. I just took it. I was too tired and too lost to care. When I didn't fight back, he sent me to room and went back to his beer. He really didn't care about me and even then it surprised me just how much he didn't care. When I unpacked the bag my mother had brought me while I was in the hospital, I found the card the old woman had left me. I was sure that it was just some hotline that wouldn't be able to help me but instead, it was a school business card."

"The front of the card said 'Dalton Academy School for Boys' and on the back was a note, 'Don't ever stop fighting.' I was so confused by it but it made me think of the magical school that saved lost girls." Heather chuckled softly. "I got online and asked around about the rumored, mystery school and after a while, I found out it was the same place. I ran away that night. I packed up what I could, got on a bus, and came to Dalton. I remember standing in front of the building thinking 'What the hell am I doing here? This is the dumbest thing I've ever done!' Right as I turned around to walk away, Dean Baker stopped me. It was the same woman who visited me in the hospital."

"She brought me into this room, sat exactly where I am now, and asked me why I was there. I didn't know what to tell her so I told her everything. She took me in with no question, helped me get my college

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education, gave me a job, and here we are." Heather smiled softly at her students as she wiped the remaining tears away.

"What about your parents? What happened with them?" Cooper found himself asking.

"I spoke with my mother a few times after that, although I never told her where I was, and I never spoke to him. There was no need." Heather shrugged.

"I can't believe you tried to kill yourself, Dean." Beatz then said, still in shock from her story.

"Sometimes, the darkness in us gets so intense that it consumes us. Sometimes, it's the only escape we see fit." Heather told with a sad smile.

Beatz turned his gaze down, thoughts of Jimmy suddenly plaguing his mind. He wondered why Jimmy had done it. He knew that it was because of the bullying but he wished he knew exactly what had been going through his little brother's mind. He never understood how someone could take their own life. Even with the dean's story, he couldn't grasp being in such a bad place in life where suicide was the answer. He got a sudden wave of sadness as he thought of his parents. They weren't by any means perfect, but they did love him. He had barely spoken to him since Jimmy's death. It might be time to make amends. Or at least attempt to.

Heather looked at the boys expectantly, waiting for one of them to speak up. After a few minutes of silence, Trent spoke up.

"I've always known that I was gay." He said quietly. "It was never a question for me. It never became something that haunted me. My parents were supportive and I had a few friends that really cared about me, no matter my sexuality. Being gay was never the problem. It was being fat." Kurt made sure to listen to Trent's story. He had assumed that Trent came to Dalton because of homophobia. He had no idea it was for something else entirely. "I got bullied and teased a lot in middle school for being gay but it never bothered me. It wasn't something I could change so why let ignorance tear me down? The bullying about my weight though...that hurt. That was something I could change. They used to call me all sorts of names like fatass and porky and they...they used to through cakes and candy at me and tell me to get fatter so that they could...roll me down the hallways like the blueberry girl in Willy Wonka."

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"That's why you hate that movie." David said softly as he briefly remembered how Trent reacted the day he suggested watching it.

"Yeah. I didn't want to tell you why because I didn't want you to think that I was doing it again when I wasn't ." Trent replied to him. David was the only Warbler in the group that knew his past. Others guessed but David was the only one he ever shared the details with.

"Doing what again?" Wes asked him.

"Throwing up." Trent said shamefaced. "I used to throw up after all my meals. It started when I was 12. It started off as an experiment, just to see if it actually worked but I stopped after a few times because it always made me feel disgusting. One day, a few months into 7th grade year, I was sitting in the cafeteria before class started and they snuck up behind me and threw buckets of slop over my head. They kept chanting 'pig' over and over again; it was awful, the feel of the slop, the smell of it, everything. I ran out and went straight to the bathroom and threw up everything. Not because I was trying to throw but simply because of how gross I felt."

"After that day, I kept doing it. I barely ate and when I did, I'd throw it up almost immediately. My weight dropped drastically after only a few weeks and I remember thinking how it wasn't enough. I kept thinking that I needed to lose more and that I couldn't stop until I was as fit as the Abercrombie and Fitch models. It never...it never stopped...the name calling and the bullying. Even as I lost weight, it never got better. If anything it got worse. They started to point out how thin I was getting and they laughed about how I was probably throwing up or taking diet pills. I hated that they knew. I hated that they were right. That didn't stop me from doing it though; it only made me do it more. My parents knew something was wrong but I refused to tell them anything. I was really good at not getting caught doing it and I even started excessively working out just to give them a reason for my weight loss. "

"Right when summer started, my friend Deirdre had her birthday party and I let her convince me to eat. I wasn't really eating at this point but I didn't want to worry her so I ate. I think I had maybe two slices of pizza and a tiny piece of cake and I felt terrible. My body wasn't used to that much food anymore and all I kept thinking about was the calories and the grease and just...it was too much for me at that point. I threw up so much that night that I passed out. I woke up in the hospital a few days later. I still refused to talk to my parents. I kept saying that I was fine but they didn't believe me, not that I blame them. I wouldn't have believed me either."

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"The doctor told me that night that if I kept heading where I was going, I would end dying. I knew then that I had to stop. I knew it was time to fess up and get help or I would seriously hurt myself. I spent the next year at rehab trying to fix myself. Once I was released, I was terrified of going to a public high school because I knew it would be the same so I came here instead." Trent didn't cry while he told his friends what happened but he did have that familiar, disgusted feeling in the pit of his stomach he always got whenever he thought back on it. It had been a couple of years since he forced himself to throw up but the memories were still there and every so often his body would reject what he ate, inevitably making his body throw it up. It was a constant battle but he could proudly say it was that he was winning.

"Does Danny know about all this?" Sebastian asked him curiously. Danny and Trent weren't dating officially but they were talking and Sebastian knew this was something the fellow Warbler should know.

"No, I haven't told him yet." Trent said sighing. "I want to but I'm worried about what he's going to say." "You should tell him. He really likes you." Kurt said encouragingly.

"Yeah, he does. I catch him doodling your name in class all the time." Beatz teased.

"Shut up! He doesn't do that." Trent said rolling his eyes, his cheeks tinting a slight pink.

"Actually, he does." Sebastian told him with a laugh. "You should really tell him. If you like as much as I think you do then he deserves to know."

"I know." Trent sighed. "I will, soon."

"Good." Sebastian said approvingly. "I guess I should go next." He then said with a heavy sigh. "I was 13 when my stepmom, ex-stepmom forced herself on me. I still wasn't sure about my sexuality so when she came on to me...I don't know, I guess I convinced myself that it was ok. After the first time it happened...I felt so gross and so used. I avoided her for weeks, always making some kind of excuse not to be at home. After a little while, the initial fear I had of her assaulting me turned into a fear of her telling my dad. I kept thinking that she would say that I was the one who initiated it and that I was the one that forced myself on her. I almost never went home at that point. I always stayed at a friend's house."

"When summer started, I got busy with camp and sports so again, I wasn't around. While I was at camp, I learned that I was gay and I was so relieved. I thought that I could finally spend some time at home because I would never try anything with her and I was certain that if she tried again, I just had to tell her

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that I was gay and she would leave me alone. Boy was I wrong." Sebastian said with a bitter laugh. "My first week home was the same week that my dad had his annual conference so it was just me and her. I was sitting at my desk in my room with my headphones so I didn't hear her come in."

"I did feel her arms wrap around me though. I panicked and practically threw her off of me. I blurted out that I was gay, desperately hoping that she would take it for what it was and leave me alone. She didn't. She laughed at me and said that it was only a phase and that it was wrong and that all I needed was a good woman to steer me in the right direction." He scoffed. Just thinking about the woman made his hairs stand on end. Thad could feel the tension and placed his hand on Sebastian's knee, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"I tried fighting her off that time. I told her it was wrong and that it shouldn't have happened in the first place. She then told me that what was wrong was my denying her when she knew that she made me feel good and that I needed to be a good little boy before she told my father that I was misbehaving. That night was the second night she did it. I was so disgusted. I remember crying for hours, wanting nothing more than to erase my memory of her. That's when I started sleeping around. It started off slow, one night stands here and there but nothing major. The less she touched me, the less I went out. I barely saw either of them during freshman year since I was boarding and I stayed busy all summer so things were ok for a while. Then during Christmas break sophomore year, she did it again. I couldn't figure out why I let her, I still don't know. I never understood the power she had over me but God how I hated it." Sebastian let the tears fall, still feeling angry at himself for allowing the abuse.

"Things started to escalate that next semester. I couldn't get her out of my head. I couldn't stop feeling disgusted in myself for letting it happen. That's when I really started sleeping around. That's when everything really began. I didn't care who the guy was. I just needed to be in control. That summer...I had to stay home. My dad was away most of it for business and she had the audacity to tell him that she felt safer if I stayed home. She...she had full advantage of me. Some days she'd ignore my existence and other days she wouldn't keep her hands off me. It was like a game to her."

"She enjoyed watching me squirm and she enjoyed giving me false hope that she was done doing it. She even apologized to me and told me that what she had been doing was wrong and that she was done with it all. Then that night she...she forced me to...get on my knees..." Sebastian struggled with his words as the memory came flooding back. That night was the worst out of all them because he had been forced to eat her out. It was the first time she had ever made him do that and it was the worst experience of his life. "That was it for me. That was what really tipped the scale. When I returned to Dalton...it wasn't about

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sleeping around, it was about revenge. It was about feeling in complete control of the person, emotionally and physically."

"That's why you went after Darren." Beatz said absentmindedly as the pieces that made Sebastian who he was fell into place.

"Yeah." Sebastian said in embarrassment. "I knew I'd be able to convince him that Chris was cheating because he was already a jealous person. A part of me felt terrible for doing it but another part of me, the part I just couldn't shake off, controlled my actions. When Thad found us having sex, I was actually relieved that we got caught. I didn't care about anything at that point and I was just so tired of it all. When Chris found me that next day, I didn't fight him or try to apologize. I egged him on. I wanted him to be angry. I needed him to be. When he started hitting me, I just laughed in his face, pissing him off even more. I really was a horrible person. I always will be. I ruined Chris' life by getting him expelled and I probably ruined Darren too. If I could go back and change it all, I would. I'm lucky the Warblers stuck by me, even if they didn't trust me." Sebastian said as he wiped the tears away.

"Does your father know about what happened?" Heather asked him.

"Yes and no." Sebastian shrugged. "He knows I was raped but I never told him who. The only reason he divorced her was because when I finally came out to him and he supported me, she flipped out on him. I watched them argue for hours and enjoyed the fact that he wouldn't back down. She kept telling him it was a wrong, disgusting phase and he kept telling her that being gay wasn't a phase but just who I was."

"Well, good for him. Although I do hope that one day you will tell him the entire truth. He deserves to know." Heather said with a small smile.

Sebastian nodded silently, knowing that the dean was right. He knew that he needed to tell his father the entire truth and he would one day, but not yet. He wasn't ready to share that piece of information with his dad yet.

The Warblers, Heather, and Cooper all glanced over at Kurt and Blaine. It was their turn to share and Blaine was starting to really dread the idea. Not just because he knew he would have to tell them everything, but because Kurt would have to open up to and he didn't want his boyfriend to overwhelm himself. He and Kurt looked at each other for a moment, both giving the other encouraging smiles. Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand protectively and Kurt squeezed back in comfort before talking.

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"I was 9 when the bullying started. It was just name-calling at first, fag, queer...fairy princess." Kurt gritted his teeth. Out of all the nicknames, fairy princess was the one that bothered him the most. "They didn't really understand the severity behind the names back then, neither did I, but it still hurt. Losing my mom was so hard and the fact that I couldn't mourn her loss in public without the fear of being taunted was just...it wasn't right." Kurt wiped a few already fallen tears away before continuing. "The name-calling got more serious as we grew up and learned what the words meant. I didn't let them know it got to me. If anything I egged them on by dressing the way I did. I refused to let them win. I refused to let them know how much I hurt, no matter how bad it got."

"When we entered high school, the bullying got so much worse. Name-calling turned into pure words of hatred and then they started dumping slushies on all the losers. It wasn't too bad freshman year. It was the same as eighth grade but with slushies added. I handled it with as much dignity as I could and went about my day like it didn't bother me. Sophomore year though...that's when it really started.

Kurt had just signed his name on the audition list for Glee club when he felt a strong hand push him into the lockers.

"Welcome back to hell fairy princess!" Karofsky laughed as he and Azimio walked past. Kurt glared at the burly football player, who had yet to take his eyes off Kurt, sighed in frustration, and walked off.

XXXX

Kurt was walking to his Navigator after school when he was suddenly picked up from behind. "What are you doing?!" he shrieked but was ignored as the football players continued to carry him. He struggled against them but it was no use, the grip they had on him was too strong. When he noticed that they were taking him to the dumpster, a new panic set in. "No! Don't you dare throw me in there! You'll ruin my-" Kurt's sentence was cut off as they dumped in the trash bin.

"Now that's how we take out the trash!" Azimio said laughing as he high-fived the fellow football players. XXXX

Kurt and Mercedes were walking to Glee club together, laughing at the hideous outfit Rachel had been wearing that day, when Karofsky grabbed him by the collar and threw him against a locker.

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"It went on for months. We had to constantly hide and look over our shoulders and it was starting to get exhausting. Having to always hide, having that fear that you were the next target. They even locked Artie in a port-a-potty. Who does that? He's in a damn wheelchair for goodness sake!" Kurt said angrily.

"Where were all the teachers through all this?" Heather asked him, clearly appalled.

"They were around but they didn't care. They turned a blind eye to it all, especially to the gay kid." Kurt said sadly. "It was awful. I didn't think it could get worse but...it did."

Kurt had a particularly bad day that day so when Karofsky shoved him in the hall, he lost it. He angrily stormed into the locker room after him, letting all the pent up aggression he had steer him.

"What the hell is your damn problem?!" Kurt yelled. "I am so sick and tired of you giving me crap for being who I am! No one told you to look at me or acknowledge me so just leave me alone! Leave me the hell alone or just punch me already! It's not going to change the fact that I'm gay!"

Karofsky pushed Kurt against the lockers, holding him there with his hands, and looking at him intently. Kurt stood there both scared and prepared for the punch he was sure was coming his way. He was not however prepared for Karofsky to kiss him. Kurt stayed frozen for a moment before realizing what was happening. He used all the force he could muster to push Karofsky off.

"What are you doing?!" He shrieked in disgust. There was no way that his tormentor just stole his first kiss. That was simply not possible.

Anger boiled in his stomach as Karofsky realized what he had just done. He punched Kurt hard in the stomach before running out of the locker room.

XXXX

Kurt hadn't seen Karofsky in a week and he had been grateful. After their last encounter, he was terrified of what would happen next. Would Karofsky kiss him again? Would he beat him up? Would he blame him for turning him gay? He had been certain that Karofsky would've told the other football players that he was trying to convert people to be gay but was surprised when nothing out of the ordinary happened. He was walking down an empty hallway, on his way to the library for his free period, when he was pulled into a janitor's closet.

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"What the-"

Karofsky pushed him against the wall, immediately attaching their lips. Kurt tried his best to push Karofsky

off but Karofsky's hold was too strong. When Karofsky finally backed off, Kurt snapped.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Karofsky punched Kurt in the arm to shut him up. "This all your fault! You and your faggy clothes and your faggy hair! Who the hell do you think you are walking around here like you matter! No one cares about you! No one cares about the fairy princess! No one cares so stop throwing it in our faces!"

"You have some serious issues! You're the one who keeps kissing me! You're the one in the closet! You're just as gay as I am! Admit it!" Kurt snapped back.

"I am not gay!" Karofsky yelled angrily. "I swear to God Hummel, if you tell anyone about this I'll make you wish you had never been born!" Karofsky hit him again to get his point across and stormed out of the room.

"It continued like that for a little while." Kurt said quietly, his gaze glued to the floor. "He would find me, wherever I was, drag me into that closet, and kiss me. If I tried to fight him off, he'd just hit me." Blaine rubbed small circles on Kurt's hands to comfort him. He hated hearing about what Karofsky did to Kurt. All it ever did was make him angry. "When we went on Christmas break, I was so happy. It was an entire month away from him and the torment. In that month, I couldn't help but be angry at myself for everything that was happening. I kept thinking that if I hadn't dressed so flamboyantly and if I hadn't been so open about my sexuality then it wouldn't have happened."

"When the semester started back up again...I refused to be the victim. I refused to let him win and I was determined to be who I was, no matter what he did. I was not going to change myself just for him and the other Neanderthals. The Hummel men are not quitters and we are not push overs. At least...that's what I kept telling myself. I egged him on the first day back in school. I dressed crazier that day than I normally would, just to make a point, but when he pulled me into the closet that day...everything changed."

"What do you want?" Kurt asked venomously. Karofsky ignored his question and kissed him hard. Kurt used all his force to push Karofsky off, only angering Karofsky in the process.

"What the fuck is your problem Hummel! Am I not good enough for you? Do you think you're better than

me?"

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"I am better than you and no you are not good enough for me! You're vile and disgusting and I would never be with you!" Kurt said angrily.

"Oh that's where you're wrong Hummel! I'm the only one that will ever touch you because everyone thinks you're a disgusting homo! But I know better." Karofsky said seductively, pressing his lips against Kurt's once more.

Kurt tried pushing him off once more but Karofsky was too strong for him. When he felt Karofsky's hand make its way to his crotch, a whole new panic set in.

"No! Stop!" Kurt yelled into Karofsky's mouth.

"Shut it Hummel!" Karofsky said as he grabbed Kurt's ass.

"This can't be happening!" Kurt cried.

"It is happening! Deal with it. Enjoy it." Karofsky all but purred.

"No stop! Oh God! Please stop!" Kurt yelled. "What the hell are you doing?! Stop!"

"Shut up!" Karofsky snapped, punching him in the gut hard. He then unzipped his pants, grabbed Kurt's hands, and shoved in his pants. "Touch it, Hummel! Do what you do best, you little cock whore!"

"Oh My God! Gross!" Kurt said in disgust as he tried to pry his hand away from Karofsky's cock.

"If anyone here is gross it's you, you queer!" Karofsky said angrily. He let go of his hold on Kurt's hand, brought his hand up to Kurt's neck, and wrapped his fingers around his throat. "Fucking touch me, Hummel." He said dangerously low.

Kurt gulped, his fear taking over his body. When he didn't touch Karofsky right away, Karofsky tightened his grip around Kurt's neck. Kurt instantly grabbed Karofsky cock but did nothing.

"Jerk me off, Hummel. I want those pretty little lady fingers to know what a real man feels like." Karofsky purred.

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"He watched me do it. He...he watched my hand as it moved and I just cried. He wouldn't let go of my neck and he even smiled at me like I was supposed to be enjoying it too. When he finished off, he...he kept my hand there so it would spill on me and then...he forced me to eat it. He forced my hand in my mouth and I just..." Kurt covered his mouth as he felt the familiar coil of upcoming vomit in his gut. Blaine rubbed Kurt's leg comfortingly, sending the bile back down. Kurt took a few deep breaths and continued. "I threw up in that closet as soon as he left, then again in the bathroom and again at home that night. It...God it was terrible."

"It went like that a couple times a week for about a couple of months. The more he did it, the less I tried standing out. I started dressing in duller colors and I stopped trying to make myself known. I figured if he didn't see me or if I wasn't so open that he would leave me alone. But I was so wrong. He looked for me. He sought me out. I stopped fighting him whenever he molested me and that was a mistake. He wanted me to struggle. He wanted me to fight. When I wouldn't, he moved on."

"Here's what we're going to do, Hummel." Karofsky said lowly. "You're going to put that pretty little faggot mouth of yours on my cock and you are going to suck it." Kurt's eyes went wide as he shook his head vigorously. "Oh yes, you are. And you're going to swallow all of my come like a good little cock slut." Karofsky forced Kurt down on his knees, smacking him hard in the head when he didn't open his mouth up immediately. Kurt struggled to keep it shut, even when Karofsky's penis was pushing hard against his face. Karofsky grabbed Kurt's hair and pulled roughly enough to elicit a whimper from Kurt. Karofsky took advantage of the small opening and forced himself into Kurt. "I swear if you bite me." He said threateningly. "Now suck!"

"That night was the first time I cut. I had lost all control over my life and I...I needed to control something. I needed to cause my own pain to forget what was going on. That's how the rest of sophomore year was like; him having his way with me in the closet and me cutting at night. By the time school got out, I was completely lost. I stopped singing, I stopped dressing well, I stopped fixing my hair, and I only spoke when spoken to. The summer wasn't much better. I was haunted by dreams every single night and I just kept falling deeper and deeper into depression. The only time I made any effort was for my dad's and Carole's wedding. I always said that I'd be the one to plan it but I couldn't. I couldn't open myself up to anything anymore. It was too hard."

"When this past semester started, I didn't fight him. I couldn't fight it anymore. What was the point if he was just going to keep doing it anyway? After about a month, I couldn't take it anymore. I was certain that if it kept happening I would do something drastic just to get away so...I tried reasoning with him."

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Kurt quickly made his way down the hallway, trying desperately to avoid Karofsky. He hated this part of the day; he always ran, he always hid, yet Karofsky would find him and force him into the janitor's closet he'd come so accustomed to. He turned the corner swiftly; briefly looking back to make sure that Karofsky wasn't following him, only to run straight into him. He gulped audibly as Karofsky grabbed him roughly by the arm to drag him away.

"If you even think of opening your fucking mouth." Karofsky warned as his grip got tighter. He didn't need to finish the warning though because Kurt knew that if he so much made a squeak of protest in the hallway it would only result in Karofsky being rougher with him in the closet.

As soon as the closet door was closed, Karofsky pushed Kurt against the shelves and grabbed him by the ass. "Please...don't." Kurt said brokenly.

"Shut it, Hummel!" Karofsky snapped, grabbing Kurt's hand to palm his erection.

"Please...you don't want to do this. This...this wrong...please." Kurt begged.

"I said to shut up!" Karofsky said angrily. "If you want to fucking beg then I'll make you beg!" Karofsky's hand went for Kurt's zipper and began to roughly take Kurt's pants off. He forced Kurt's pants and boxers down before swiftly turning him around and placing his erection firmly against Kurt's ass.

"Oh my God! No! Please! Please no!" Kurt cried desperately.

"I told you I'd make you beg you fucking little whore!" Karofsky snarled as he forced Kurt's body to bend over. Karofsky licked his lips at the sight in front of him. Kurt struggled to get free. He cried and yelled loudly but Karofsky's grip was too strong. Karofsky spit in his hand and coated his cock thoroughly before lining himself up to Kurt's entrance.

"Please dear God! Don't do this! Please don't do this!" Kurt cried.

"I said I'd make you beg." Karofsky purred before thrusting his erection into Kurt.

"I cried and I screamed and I prayed that he would stop or that someone would walk by and hear me but nothing. He just kept at it. It was pure agony. The more I yelled the rougher he got. When he finally finished, I fell to the ground and sobbed. I didn't care that he was still there. What else was he going to do to me? Kill me? I think he panicked when he saw what he had done because he ran out of there faster than

\- 305 -

I'd ever seen him run. And I just stayed there and cried. I didn't go to any of my classes for the rest of the day. I think I may have even blacked out for a little bit. I skipped Glee club that night, not that I participated anymore, went home, and cut deeper than I ever had. I remember being thankful that Carole and my dad were working because it was so painful to move. How I managed to drive home and walk up the stairs is beyond me."

"I convinced my dad to let me stay home that next day. I made some lame excuse about being sick and even though he was reluctant, he let me stay. I was curled up in bed all day just crying and falling deeper into the black hole. The only time I got up was to cut." Kurt wiped his fallen tears away, aware of the fact that Blaine was crying right along with him. What he hadn't realized was that Cooper and Sebastian were crying with him too. "He left me alone for a few weeks after that. I don't know if he was scared that I'd finally tell someone or if he was scared over the fact that he did it but he left me alone. No slushies, no name-calling, nothing. I knew it was too good to be true and that he would come after me again but it was a nice break from it all."

"The night Finn found me cutting was one of my worst days. Karofsky had been watching me all day. It was like a cat and mouse game. He toyed with me the entire day and it was terrifying. I ended up in the library that afternoon while Finn was in Glee club and worked on a paper that was due. I figured that the jocks were all gone for the day and they never come into the library anyway so I thought I was safe. I...I saw him coming before he saw me but...he knew I was there. I hid in the back and held my mouth, desperately trying not to let any noises escape. The librarian kicked him out before he found me but the fear of him being so close, especially after the way he taunted me all day was just...it was too much."

"Finn knew something was wrong. He knew that something happened but I refused to talk to him. I ran upstairs right when we got home, not even hearing Finn call out to me. I was too lost on my own world to acknowledge him. I was always very meticulous about when I cut but that night...I don't even think I closed the door behind me. Finn ran up after me just as I slit my wrists and he freaked out."

"Dude! What the hell are you doing?!" Finn asked in shock. Kurt was kneeling on the floor, razor in one hand, and his wrist dripping blood.

Kurt looked up at Finn, his eyes dark and droopy. "Finn." He said brokenly before falling over and letting the darkness consume him.

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"Oh my God! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Finn panicked at the sight of Kurt. "Please don't die. Please don't die." He mumbled as he pulled his phone out and called his mother.

"I told my family about the bullying that night and how bad it had gotten but I didn't tell them everything. I couldn't. Not with my dad's heart. My dad knew...he knows that it was something deeper than just getting tossed into dumpsters but...I can't tell him. Not yet." Kurt said quietly.

"I didn't know it was that bad, Kurt." Sebastian said softly. "Neither did I." Blaine said sadly.

"Yeah...it was bad." Kurt sniffled. "But it's ok. I mean, it's not but...it is. I'm here now and I have you guys so...it'll be ok."

Cooper squeezed Kurt's leg comfortingly, letting him know that he was there for him too. He then looked at Blaine who was avoiding all eye contact. Listening to the boys talk about their problems had really blown him away. How such young boys could've gone through so much was beyond him. He was scared for Blaine. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to handle what his little brother told him but he needed to know. He needed to understand what happened.

"Blaine." Cooper said softly.

Blaine looked up at Cooper, his eyes already filled with tears as the realization that he was supposed to tell them everything sank in. He knew it was coming. He knew he had to do it. That didn't stop the panic from setting in.

"Are you ok?" Kurt asked him in concern.

Blaine nodded and took a few deep breaths before talking. "I was 12 when I came out but it wasn't by choice. The kids at school had been teasing me all year and one day I snapped. I screamed at them that they were right, that I was gay and they needed to get over it. They beat the crap out of me instead. When I got home, I had cuts and bruises all over my body and my dad was livid."

"Who the hell do they think they are beating up my son?!" Mr. Anderson said angrily.

"Dad." Blaine said meekly.

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"Where were the damn teachers? Why didn't anyone help you?!"

"Dad."

"I'm going to the school board first thing in the morning and giving those people a piece of my mind!"

"DAD!" Blaine yelled, trying to get his father's attention.

"What, Blaine?" Mr. Anderson snapped.

"It's my fault." Blaine said brokenly.

"What did you do?" Mr. Anderson asked accusingly.

"I...I told them I was gay." Blaine said just above a whisper.

"Why would you do that? You better not be standing up for some faggot. I know I raised you to be a strong man but this better not be some help the gay kid crap." Mr. Anderson warned.

"It's not, Dad." Blaine said quietly. "I told them I was gay because I am." "No, you are not." Mr. Anderson said firmly.

"But I am." Blaine said weakly.

Mr. Anderson walked over to his son, grabbed him firmly by the hair and wrenched Blaine's face up to his. Blaine winced in pain as his heart raced. "You listen to me right now, young man. If you're choosing to be a damn queer then you better realize the consequences that come from it."

"Honey? What's going on?" Mrs. Anderson said from the hallway in confusion.

"Stay out of this." He barked at her and jerked his son's hair again. "Are you listening to me, Blaine? This

better be some terrible joke. I will not have a faggot for a son." "I can't change who I am, Dad." Blaine said in desperation.

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Mr. Anderson shook Blaine vigorously before shoving him to the floor. "Get the hell out of my sight. I don't want to see you again."

"But, Dad-"

"Now!"

"Things got really bad after that. The kids in school were so cruel and then I'd come home to the same thing. My mom never said anything to me. She never even looked at me. My grandmother made it very clear that homosexuality was a sin and that I was going to hell if I continued on the path I was on. She never said anything to me after that. She only looked at me in disgust. And then my dad...I couldn't do anything without it being too gay. The way I ate, the way I walked, the way I dressed, everything."

"Damn it, boy! Eat like a man! Quit eating like a prissy little queer!" XXXX

"Can't you walk like a normal person? Do you have to walk like a faggot?" XXXX

"What the hell are you wearing? Do you want people to know you're a fucking pansy? Why don't you just go put on a dress! You deserve to get your ass kicked."

XXXX

"Hurry up in that damn bathroom! I swear you fags take a longer time primping then women do! What a disgrace to men."

"He turned everything I did into it being too gay. It was a constant thing with him. I never did anything right after that. He got in the habit of grabbing me by the hair every chance he had."

Blaine was walking down the stairs to the kitchen when his father saw him. "What the hell do you want?" Mr. Anderson asked through gritted teeth.

\- 309 -

"I was just getting some food sir." Blaine said timidly, trying not to anger his father.

"Don't patronize me by calling me sir!" Mr. Anderson snapped, grabbing Blaine by the hair and yanking him down the last few steps so that Blaine tripped over his feet and twisted his ankle. "Get your food and get back upstairs." Mr. Anderson released his hold with so much force that Blaine collapsed at the base of the stairs."Disgusting." Mr. Anderson mumbled before walking away.

XXXX

Blaine was sitting on the couch, quietly watching TV when his father walked in with a work associate. He walked over to where Blaine was sitting, grabbed him by his hair, and flung him off the couch.

"What do you think you're doing down here? Get back upstairs and stay out of my way!" Mr. Anderson said as he dragged Blaine to the stairs.

"Is that the fag?" Blaine heard his father's associate ask.

"Yeah, that's him. Worthless little queer."

XXXX

Blaine was lying in bed still, half way between awake and asleep, when his father abruptly came into the room.

"Get up!" Mr. Anderson yelled. "Get out of bed now!"

"Wasgoinon?" Blaine asked sleepily.

"I said to get up!" Mr. Anderson snapped as he grasped Blaine by his ungelled curls to get him out of bed. "I have people coming over and I don't need to them to see my faggot son! Get dressed and get out. Don't come back all day."

"One day I put gel in my hair. When he grabbed it, he was disgusted, and shoved me against the wall. But he stopped grabbing it as much, so I kept using it." Blaine said crying.

"Blaine, you told me that Dad never physically abused you." Cooper said pointedly. - 310 -

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"He didn't." Blaine said quickly. "I mean he did today but he never hit me before."

"Blaine, he grabbed you by the hair and shoved you around like a ragdoll and pushed you into things. You could have been really hurt. Today may have been the first time he struck you but he's been physically abusing you for years." Cooper said firmly.

"Cooper." Heather said softly. "Let him finish." Cooper bit his tongue to stop himself from talking and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Please, Blaine, continue."

"Between everything at school and everything at home, I started getting really angry. I would go into my room and scream into my pillow until my throat hurt. Everyone hated me; everyone. I lost all my friends and I lost my family and I just...I hated myself for being gay. I hated myself for not being able to be normal. One day, I was so pissed off that when I got home, I went straight into my bathroom and just punched it. I kept punching the glass over and over again just to see it break. That was the first time I cut."

Blaine breathed heavily as he stared at the shattered glass around him. He saw the blood trickling down from his knuckles and was entranced by it; the way it flowed down his fingers, the color, the smell. He smiled at himself when he felt the pulsing in his hand. It was the best feeling in the world. He picked up a shard from the sink, stared at it for only a moment before sliding it over his wrist. He winced at the pain, but then breathed in relaxation as his body became light. He sliced once more, deeper than the first time, and relished in the feel of his pulse. He didn't bother to clean up the mess. He only rinsed the blood off and walked out of the room.

"It became an addiction after that. Feeling my pulse, seeing myself bleed, hearing my heartbeat in my ears whenever I got lightheaded, I craved it. I craved the feeling of being lightweight when the world around me was so heavy. Everything happened so fast. I hadn't even turned 13 yet. I cut for years, desperate to feel something other than hatred." Blaine cried into Kurt's shoulder, subconsciously rubbing the old scars on his wrists. "I even thought about killing myself."

"Blaine." Kurt said brokenly.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt." Blaine said shamefaced.

"You don't have to be sorry, Blaine." Kurt replied, trying his best to hold his emotions. "You didn't do it

and that's all that matter."

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"Yeah, but I almost did."

Blaine had a particularly long day a few days after he turned 15. It was the first day of freshman year and the bullying at his high school was tenfold the bullying at his middle school. He walked over to his bathroom, pulled out the familiar razor, and cut deep into his skin. He watched the blood drip into the sink. He sliced again and again, deeper and deeper, only stopping when his legs gave out under him. He slipped in and out of consciousness for the next hour. He couldn't be positive, but he was pretty sure that his father found him and left him be, mumbling "I don't know why he won't just kill himself and save us all the hassle," as he walked out.

"I didn't know if I dreamt it or not, but the words wouldn't get out of my head. I stole my mom's sleeping pills later that night and just stared at them. I stared at the bottle for hours, trying to convince myself to take them. I even went as far as opening the bottle and pouring the pills in my hand. But I couldn't do it. I wanted to...but I couldn't. The only reason I didn't was because Cooper popped into my head and the thought of disappointing him was overwhelming." Blaine said, his gaze glued on the floor. "You saved my life, Coop. I don't think I would've been able to stop myself if I hadn't thought of you."

Cooper pulled Blaine in for a tight embrace, tears freely falling from his face. "I love you so much, Blaine. Don't you ever forget that. We're going to get through this together. You are not alone and I promise that I will never leave you again."

"I'm so sorry, Cooper. I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't handle it all." Blaine cried into his brother's chest.

"But you were. You stopped yourself from taking those pills and you didn't give up on me. You are so strong, Blaine. Stronger than you know." Cooper told him.

Cooper and Blaine held each other for a few moments, both trying to get a grip on their emotions. Heather let her own tears fall for not just Blaine, but for all the people out there that ever sat on the brink of suicide and for all the kids who didn't have someone like Cooper in their lives to stop them. The fellow Warblers cried as well, none being able to wrap their heads around the fact that Blaine thought about taking his life. Kurt simply sat there silently, holding onto Blainey-Boo for dear life. Blaine, his Blaine almost killed himself and that thought was way too much to process.

"I was at my lowest point during that time. The only thing that kept me alive was the thought of you." Blaine told Cooper. "About a week after that was when Grams found me. We'd barely talked since I came

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out but when she found me, everything changed. I was curled up in a ball in the bathroom, crying and covered in blood and when she walked in, I just kept saying that I was sorry. I kept apologizing for being gay and for being a disgrace to the family and she looked at me like I was talking gibberish. I couldn't understand her reaction and it scared me. I started panicking and thinking that she was going to tell my mom and dad but she didn't. She knelt down next to me and cried. She grabbed a towel and cleaned me up before pulling me into a hug."

"She started saying how sorry she was and how wrong she was and how she was going to fix everything. I didn't know what to think but it had been so long since anyone even touched me, nonetheless hugged me and I clung on to her desperately. We cried together for hours until I fell asleep in her arms. When I woke back up, I was still in the bathroom but I was covered by a blanket. I walked out and found her sitting on my bed with my baby books."

"Grams?" Blaine said cautiously.

His grandmother looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "Blainey, I'm so sorry." She told him. Blaine walked over to his bed and took a seat next to her. She placed the book down, wrapped her arms around her grandson, and hugged him tightly. "I'm so, so sorry. I don't...I was so scared when I saw you. I thought you were going to die. I was wrong, Blaine. I was wrong. I don't understand this but you are my grandson and I love you. I'm so sorry. I'll try, Blaine. I'll try for you. Just please, please don't kill yourself. Please."

"She convinced my dad to let me move in with her. She told him she would fix me and he believed she would turn me straight so he let her take me. If she hadn't...I don't think I'd be here right now. I don't think I would've made it much longer without taking my life." Blaine told them.

Beatz suddenly stood up from where he was sitting, walked over to Blaine, and went in for an embrace. "Don't do it. Please. Don't ever do anything like that again. Losing Jimmy was hard enough. I can't lose you too."

Blaine wrapped his arms around Beatz and nodded. "I won't. I swear." Cooper stood up from the couch as the other Warblers walked over to Blaine. They surrounded Blaine in a group hug, all of them wanting, needing Blaine to know just how loved he was.

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Cooper stood off in a corner, his shoulder shaking slightly as the tears streamed down his face. His amazing baby brother almost killed himself and stopped because of him. He stopped because he didn't want to disappoint Cooper and that blew him away. He felt like a failure as a brother for not being there for Blaine in his most desperate hour.

"Cooper?" Heather said softly from behind him. "This isn't your fault." Cooper scoffed at her. "It isn't. You weren't the one that abused and neglected him."

"I should've been there." Cooper told her angrily.

"You're here now. That's what counts." Heather told him. She rubbed his back comfortingly for a moment before turning her attention back to the boys. "I think we've been through enough for the night, boys. You can head back up to your dorms."

The boys started to part, all of them teary eyed and depressed. "Wes, the Warblers have tomorrow off. Use the day to reinforce your brotherhood." Heather told him. Wes nodded in understanding at her and quickly pulled his phone out to let the other boys know that tomorrow was Warbler day. Heather unlocked the door to let the boys out of the room, hugging them all one by one as they left the room. Once all the boys were out of the room, Cooper approached her.

"Would it be ok if I stayed the night with Blaine?" Cooper asked her.

"Of course. You can stay as long as you like tomorrow." Heather told him softly. "Thank you, Heather." Cooper said in relief and walked out of the room.

The boys reluctantly went their separate ways once they were back at the dorms. They wanted to stay with Blaine but Blaine insisted that he would fine with Kurt and Cooper. Kurt, Blaine, and Cooper stayed quiet as they got settled for bed. Blaine and Kurt were both exhausted from opening themselves up and all they wanted to do was hold each other in bed. While Blaine and Kurt slept on Kurt's bed, Cooper slept in Blaine's. No one really slept though. Most of the night consisted of Kurt and Cooper singing Blaine back to sleep after dreaming and Cooper's thoughts were too wrapped up in everything to let him sleep.

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\- 314 -

He didn't know what to think or what to do. It was all so much to take in, including Kurt's past. In the short amount of time that he knew Kurt, he grew to care for him deeply. He was boggled by the fact that he had been through so much. He was torn between being an adult in the situation and being a friend. What he did know was that he and Kurt were going to have a one-on-one and soon; the sooner the better. And after that one-on-one, he would have to talk to Burt. What the talk would consist of all depended on his chat with Kurt but it was definitely going to happen. He also had to go see his parents. Now that he knew everything, now that he understood how broken and lost his baby brother was, it was time to confront them.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Coming to Terms

Kurt barely slept that night. It had been one of the longest and most stressful nights of his life. While he hadn't had any nightmares himself, Blaine did and from what he could tell, they had been bad. He and Cooper spent all night trying to calm Blaine down enough so that he could sleep but every time Blaine closed his eyes, the nightmare was waiting for him. Kurt cried for Blaine so much throughout the night, that come morning, he felt like he physically had no tears left in him. His thoughts were plagued with images of a younger Blaine trying to take his life and it shattered his heart in ways he never knew possible. Had Blaine succeeded, had he not thought about his brother, he wouldn't be there and that was too much for Kurt's mind to process.

When he woke up that morning to find Blaine and Cooper still sound asleep, he silently snuck out of the room in need of air. He was feeling suffocated by all the emotions and stress and he needed to get out. He walked over to the courtyard, too lost in his thoughts to realize that he walked past Sebastian and Beatz. He simply kept his head down and walked out of the dorms without saying a word. Beatz and Sebastian glanced at each other apprehensively before nodding and following Kurt out of the building.

Kurt sat down on one of the benches outside, closed his eyes, and breathed in deeply in an attempt to center himself. With Spring right around the corner, the breeze was cool and relaxing, the birds were starting to come home, and nature was coming back to life. It was a beautiful day outside but Kurt was too lost to truly appreciate it. He hadn't heard Beatz and Sebastian approach him so when they sat down next to him, one on each side, he instinctively flinched.

"Someone's jumpy today." Beatz commented sadly.

"Sorry. Long night." Kurt answered quietly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sebastian asked him as he comfortingly rubbed Kurt's back.

Even though Kurt shook his head no, the words came spilling out on their own accord. "Blaine kept having nightmares and we couldn't get to calm down enough to really fall asleep and the few times he did fall asleep, I just laid there thinking about everything he's been through and how horrible his father is and I can't stop thinking about how he almost killed himself and I can't even begin to process a world without him and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do." Tears began streaming down his face halfway

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through his rant, only adding anger to his sadness. "And I can't stop fucking crying! Every few minutes I'm crying and I'm tired of it! I'm tired of being pissed! I'm tired of being sad and hurt! I'm tired of all this damn hatred in this screwed up world and I'm just so tired! I'm so tired."

Sebastian pulled Kurt in for an embrace, glancing at Beatz who had his own set of tears streaming down. In truth, none of the Warblers that experienced full disclosure night had slept much but they all knew that Kurt and Blaine would have it the worst.

"What do I do?" Kurt asked brokenly. "How do I talk to him without breaking down? He needs me to be strong for him but I don't know how."

"You just have to be there for him, Kurt." Beatz said softly. "Even if you break down, just be there. He doesn't need you to be strong for him. He needs you to love him."

"I just...I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop imagining him dead on the floor and his parents not even caring. How could they do that? How could they neglect their son like that? What if he actually went through with it?" Kurt said angrily.

"Some people are monsters, Kurt. You and I both know that firsthand." Sebastian said quietly. "That's why it's so important for us to just support and love each other. We have to be each other's anchor in order to get through all this."

"And you can't keep thinking about what happened. You can't think what if. It's only going to drive you crazy." Beatz told him.

"I know but-"

"No buts." Beatz said firmly. "I'm the king of what if scenarios. What if I hadn't come to Dalton? What if I stayed home with Jimmy? Would he still be alive? Would I have been able to save him? None of those questions matter because there's nothing that can be done. I can't go back in time and change the past. All I can do is move forward and accept the fact that it is what it is. Blaine's stronger than he thinks. He didn't take the pills, he didn't commit suicide."

"But he could've! He almost did!" Kurt argued back.

"But he didn't and that's what counts." Beatz replied.

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"You can't dwell on this, Kurt. Beatz is right. You're going to drive yourself crazy if you do. When you and Blaine talk, tell him how you feel, talk it out, and then drop it. You want to be strong for him? Show him that you love him no matter what. That's what he needs." Sebastian said.

Kurt wiped his tears away and nodded. He knew they were right, even though everything still hurt. "Do you think he'll be ok?"

"Eventually, I'm sure he will be. It's just going to take time for him to heal, time and love." Beatz told him.

Kurt sighed and nodded again. The boys sat there quietly for a few minutes, Kurt trying to calm himself down so that he could go back into the dorms and Beatz and Sebastian trying to find the courage to talk to Kurt about what they decided the night before. When Kurt stood up to leave, Beatz stopped him.

"Wait! We're not done yet." He said quickly.

Kurt turned to look at them, finally noticing their scheming expressions. "What are you two up to?"

"Nothing." They answered simultaneously, earning them Kurt's bitch glare.

"Well...nothing yet." Beatz clarified.

"Ok." Kurt said expectantly.

"After you and Blaine went to bed, the rest of stayed up talking...about you." Sebastian told him.

"What about me?" Kurt asked confused.

"We decided that we wanted to help the New Directions in their plan to get Karofsky back." Beatz said in a rush.

"What?" Kurt deadpanned.

"Hear us out." Sebastian said quickly. "After you told us what happened, we all agreed that he needs a severe ass beating but we know that's not the answer. Whatever your friends have planned is happening this weekend and we need to know what's going on so that we can protect you if we have to. So, we were

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hoping that we could get your friends to come here and tell us the plan. We'd like your permission Kurt, but we'll go behind your back if we have to."

"Seriously?" Kurt asked in disbelief.

"Seriously. Look, we know you're scared that he's going to come find you but we can't protect you if we don't know all their details. If he comes here and somehow gets back in the school, we need to be prepared." Sebastian said firmly.

Kurt chuckled humorlessly and shook his head in defeat. "Fine. I'll call them and get them to come up here."

"We just want to watch out for you." Beatz said softly.

"I know." Kurt replied sighing before turning away and walking off.

Blaine woke up shortly after Kurt left, feeling tired and sore all over. He laid in bed for a little while, staring up at the ceiling as the previous night's memories jumped around his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about Kurt and what he went through with Karofsky. His beautiful, amazing boyfriend had been brutally raped and it angered him deeply. How someone could do that to Kurt, to anyone really, was beyond his comprehension. All he wanted to do was find Karofsky and beat the living crap out of him. He may fear his father, but he wasn't afraid of the burly football player and he would gladly teach the boy a lesson in respect if he could.

With a frustrated sigh, Blaine sat up in the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. It's going to be such a long day. He glanced over at Cooper, guilt instantly washing over him. He hated that he couldn't get a grip on himself that night. He knew he'd have nightmares but he didn't think they'd be any worse than what they already were. He was wrong. The shadow, his father, was waiting for him every single time he closed his eyes and Cooper was there to witness it all. It was bad enough that Kurt had been dealing with his nightmares for weeks, but now Cooper had a full night of it and he hated worrying his brother. He lowered his head into his hands and let out a shaky breath before the tears took over. It only took a few minutes of him crying for Cooper to wake up.

"Squirt?" Cooper said quietly as he sat up in the bed.

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"Sorry, Coop. I didn't mean to wake you." Blaine replied just above a whisper.

"No need to apologize, I needed to wake up anyway." Cooper told him as he stretched.

Blaine nodded silently, wiping away the few tears that had fallen with the end of his sleeve. Cooper watched him for a moment and in that moment, he saw his baby brother instead of a teenager. His hair was disheveled, he had his hands hidden in the long sleeves with the material bunched up in between his fingers, and he was staring off into the distance. Cooper knew that it meant that Blaine was still lost in his nightmare. He used to do the same thing when he was younger. Cooper got up from where he was sitting, walked over to Blaine, and sat down next to him.

"Do you remember when you were seven and you kept having nightmares about Lord Voldemort?" Cooper asked him curiously.

"How could I forget?" Blaine replied with a small chuckle. "I slept with my makeshift wand for weeks so that dream me had a way to fight him."

"Uh, huh. Do you remember what I told you?" Cooper asked. Blaine smiled softly at him. That night had been one of his fondest memories of Cooper growing up.

"Blainey it was just a dream. He can't hurt you." Cooper said quietly as he ran his fingers through Blaine's unruly curls.

"I know Coop but he was so real!" Blaine argued back. "And dream me forgot about the wand so I couldn't fight back."

"I need to have a serious talk with dream you." Cooper said as he placed both hands on Blaine's face, bringing his head closer so that he could talk into the top of Blaine's curls. "Listen here dream Blaine, you cannot forget your wand anymore. He-who-must-not-be-named is an evil ass," Blaine giggled at Cooper's profanity, "and you must fight him with all you got!"

"Coop," Blaine whined. "Dream me can't hear you. I'm not asleep, duh."

"Alright then you listen to me." Cooper said firmly. "Lord Vol-" Blaine took in a sharp breath at the name. "I

mean, He-who-must-not-be-named is scary, yes. He's evil and dangerous and could kill you within a second.

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But, you are strong. Stronger than you think you are and he better watch it or you're going to kick his ass! Besides, the day you have to stop running and fight him, I'll be right there next to you fighting too."

"You promise?" Blaine asked softly.

"Of course! I'm your big brother Squirt. It's my job to always protect you." Cooper replied proudly.

"Thanks, Coop." Blaine said. "You really are the coolest brother. Not everyone is willing to fight the Dark Lord ya know."

"Oh I know, but not us. Together, you and I can totally take him." Cooper assured him. "Now come on and lay down. Before I can fight the Dark Lord, I need to pass my Chemistry exam tomorrow and that, is scary."

"You can do it though." Blaine said with certainty as they settled down in Cooper's bed. "If anyone can, it's you."

"You haven't met my teacher." Cooper joked. "Goodnight Blainey. Love you."

"Love you too, Coop." Blaine replied with a yawn. That next night when Blaine dreamt of Lord Voldemort, not only did he remember his wand, but Cooper was right there with him for the battle. That was the last time Blaine had a nightmare involving the evil character.

"Nothing I said that night has changed, Blaine. You are still so much stronger than you think you are and I am still here to fight alongside you." Cooper told him firmly.

"Are you calling Dad Lord Voldemort then?" Blaine asked with a small laugh.

"No way." Cooper scoffed. "Dad is nowhere near as cool of a villain as the Dark Lord. But he is a villain nonetheless, a real one, and I'll be damned if I let him hurt you again. You're not a little boy anymore but I'm still your big brother and it's still my job to protect you. That's never going to change."

"You're still the coolest brother around ya know." Blaine said genuinely.

"That I am." Cooper replied proudly. "I love you, Blaine. Always have and I always will." "I love you too, Cooper." Blaine said through watery eyes. "Thanks for being here."

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"You bet." Cooper said as he pulled Blaine in for a hug. "Where's Kurt?"

"Not sure. He was gone when I woke up." Blaine replied sadly.

Just then, the dorm room door opened up and Kurt walked in. "You're awake." He said softly.

"Yeah, just woke up." Blaine replied as he got up from the bed and walked over to Kurt. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist.

"I'm ok." Kurt shrugged. "You?"

"I'm ok." Blaine replied with his own shrug. "You mind if I shower first?"

"Go ahead but be fast. Wes said that everyone has to be in the Warbler hall by the time class starts and since we woke up late, we only have about 45 minutes." Kurt informed him.

"I'll be fast and then the shower's yours." Blaine assured him with a chaste kiss before walking into their bathroom.

"Morning, Coop." Kurt said quietly as he walked over to the closet to pull out his and Blaine's uniforms.

"Morning, Kurt. Where'd you run off to this morning?" Cooper asked curiously.

"I went down to the courtyard for some fresh air." Kurt replied, his back facing Cooper.

"Hey." Cooper said, making Kurt turn around to look at him. "Come sit with me for a minute." Kurt took a deep breath before walking over to Cooper and sitting down. "I wanted to talk to you about last night."

"Cooper, I-"

"Let me say something first." Cooper interrupted. "I know that it was difficult for you to tell us what happened and I can only imagine how scared you must've been. But I need you to know that none of it was your fault."

"I know that." Kurt said defensively.

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"Do you?" Cooper challenged.

"I-yeah?" Kurt said unconvinced. "I mean, I know that it isn't it my fault, really, I do. I just...sometimes I can't help but wonder if I hadn't been so out and proud of who I am, then maybe he wouldn't have made me his special project." He said bitterly.

"Kurt, I don't care if you walked around with a neon sign that said, 'Look at me, I'm gay.' He had no right to attack you in any way, shape, or form and nothing you did makes it your fault. He's the scared and insecure one. You are the strong and brave one. Don't you ever forget that." Kurt nodded silently. "Now, I don't want to overstep my boundaries with you, but I think you need to tell your dad."

"Cooper I can't. His heart can't take that. Besides if I tell him then he's going to try and get the law involved and that'll result in Karofsky's word against mine. I'm not putting my family through that." Kurt replied firmly.

"Fine, I can't make you tell him and I won't tell him either. But one day, you need to tell him Kurt. He's your father and he loves you. He deserves to know the truth." Cooper said softly.

"I know and I will. One day, I'll tell him everything but...just not yet." Kurt said with a heavy sigh.

"Alright." Copper nodded. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here. Even if you and Blaine were to break up,

which I highly doubt, I'm here for you. Always."

"Thanks Cooper." Kurt said with a small smile.

"It's no problem." Cooper assured him. "I'm going to go make a phone call. Tell Blaine I'll be right back."

"Ok." Kurt nodded. Cooper ruffled Kurt's hair, laughing at how Kurt scowled at him for it, and left the room to make his call.

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Roughly ten minutes after Cooper left, Blaine got out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. The first thing Kurt noticed was the bruises on his chest from being struck by his father. Kurt visibly

paled at the sight.

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"Blaine." Kurt breathed out as he walked over to him. Blaine stood still as Kurt's hands lightly traced the markings on his body, hating the pained expression on his boyfriends face.

"Don't." Blaine said brokenly, grabbing Kurt's hand to make him stop.

Kurt glanced up from the bruises, his tear filled eyes meeting Blaine's. "I'm so sorry." He said quietly as he wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck. "You didn't deserve this. I'm so sorry."

"You aren't the one that hurt me Kurt, don't apologize for him." Blaine replied sullenly. "Where's Coop?" "He said he had to make a phone call and that he'd be right back." Kurt answered. "How are you feeling?" "Fine I guess." Blaine shrugged, not meeting Kurt's eyes.

"Blaine." Kurt said softly. Blaine slowly looked up at Kurt, his resolve breaking the instant their eyes met.

"I feel like shit, ok?" Blaine said, his voice wavering. "I'm tired and I'm angry and I hate this! I hate feeling so damn lost and I hate being so afraid and I just...I hate it, Kurt. Why did he have to come here? Why couldn't he just leave me alone? I was doing fine. I was getting better and he just had to come and screw it all up!"

Kurt responded by closing the gap between them and kissing Blaine firmly, putting all of his love into it. There was so much he wanted to say but the need to show Blaine how much he loved him took over. Blaine was taken aback by Kurt's sudden forcefulness but accepted it. The way Kurt's tongue dominated his mouth made him momentarily forget about everything. Kurt wrapped his fingers through Blaine's curls as Blaine's grip on Kurt's hips tightened. They needed this. They needed to get lost in each other and relish the moment that had been stolen from them the day before. When both their cellphones beeped, indicating that they had a new message, they parted for only a moment.

"That's probably Wes." Kurt said breathily.

"Don't care. Want you." Blaine replied before attaching their lips again.

This time around, Blaine took control of the kiss and Kurt let him. Their kisses were rough and needy, both boys desperate for the other, both boys wanting to forget and get lost in the moment. Kurt's hand slipped down Blaine's back, stopping just above the towel. His fingers then grabbed the towel and swiftly pulled it

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off. He placed his hand on Blaine's ass, squeezing roughly, earning him a guttural moan from Blaine. Blaine grabbed the hem of Kurt's shirt, parting from the kiss to take the shirt off. He placed one hand on Kurt's lower back, the other around Kurt's neck, and crashed their lips together. Kurt teasingly slipped a single finger down Blaine's ass crack, earning him another moan that went straight to his cock. Just as Blaine thrust his hips forward in search of friction, Cooper opened the door. Cooper stood at the doorway in shock for a moment before clearing his throat.

Kurt let out an undignified squeak while Blaine quickly grabbed his towel off the floor. "Coop!" "I said I'd be right back." Cooper replied with a smirk.

"I'm going to take a shower." Kurt said in embarrassment and practically ran into the bathroom. "Cock-blocked by the better looking brother." Cooper teased.

"Shut up." Blaine said irritably, his face red from embarrassment. Cooper simply laughed and ruffled Blaine's hair before taking a seat at Blaine's desk.

By the time Kurt, Blaine, and Cooper entered the Warbler Hall, the boys were already shouting out suggestions on what to do for their free day. Wes was in a shouting match with Beatz, David was in one with Trent, Thad was doing his best to write down all of the legitimate options, Sebastian was watching everyone argue in amusement, and somehow amongst all the chaos, Nick and Jeff were playing cards. Blaine and Kurt both visibly relaxed at not getting caught coming in late, earning them a chuckle from Cooper.

"Are they usually like this?" Cooper asked Blaine in a hushed voice.

"Pretty much." Blaine replied laughing.

"Warblers, Warblers!" Wes yelled as he banged his gavel. "This is getting us nowhere." "We'd get further if you came up with a better idea than bowling." Beatz yelled out.

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"You're only saying that because you're the best bowler here." Blaine called out.

"I am not putting on shoes someone else with nasty feet wore. No, no, no." Kurt said shaking his head.

"Warbler Blaine and Warbler Kurt, you were both 10 minutes late after I specifically told you to be here before class. You have no room to comment." Wes said firmly, waving his gavel at them as if it were an extension of his arm. Kurt and Blaine both looked down at their feet from being reprimanded, making Cooper snort under his breath.

"Why can't we go to the zoo?" Trent asked in irritation.

"Because I'm scared of the giraffe's." Thad answered quietly, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks.

"But you're having sex with a giraffe." Beatz said smirking, making a few of the Warblers snicker.

"Watch it Beatz." Sebastian replied firmly, earning him several more laughs.

"What's wrong with Dave Busters?" Beatz asked seriously.

"We are not going there again." Wes said firmly. "The last time we went, you and several of the Warblers flirted with the waitresses and got drunk. We are not breaking the Dean's trust."

"Come on, Councilman Wes, live a little." Sebastian teased.

"No." Wes replied seriously.

"What about paintballing?" David suggested. The Warblers almost instantly quieted, giving David the opportunity to continue. "We haven't gone together yet and it'll be a really good team building exercise. Freshman and Juniors against the Sophomore and Seniors."

"That's actually a really good idea Warbler David." Wes said approvingly.

"Yeah I know." David replied as brushed his shoulder off. "All in favor of going paintballing?" The majority of the Warblers raised their hands eagerly.

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"Paintball it is." Wes said with a gavel bang. "You have 15 minutes to change into something suitable. Everyone meet up at the buses." The Warblers quickly dispersed to change into the appropriate attire, many of them already whispering strategies with those on their team. Cooper, who had followed Kurt and Blaine out of the rehearsal hall, pulled Blaine aside and gestured at Kurt keep going.

"What is it?" Blaine asked cautiously.

"I'm going to head out. I have some things to take care of." Cooper told him. Blaine immediately opened his mouth to argue but Cooper cut him off. "I know you want me to stay but you need to spend time with your brothers. If you really want me to come back and stay tonight I will. But I think you should spend the evening with Kurt and you can't do that with me around." He said with a mischievous grin, making Blaine blush. "I'll give you a call later tonight."

"Alright." Blaine nodded with a sigh. Cooper hugged his brother, kissed his forehead goodbye, and left a nervous Blaine behind.

Cooper sat in his car outside his parents' house for over thirty minutes before he finally found the strength to get out. As he sat there thinking about everything that Blaine had told him, his heart ache grew tenfold. He was still trying to process the fact that their parents had treated him so badly, especially their mother. He assumed that it wasn't so much that she didn't accept him as much as it was that he feared her husband's reaction. She was always a very soft spoken person while their father was headstrong. Cooper took a lot after him while Blaine took after her. He hoped that their confrontation would bring some kind of positive results but he wasn't holding his breath.

As he walked up to the front door, the dread he was feeling slowly seeped away and had been replaced by determination. He needed to be strong for Blaine and he was not going to let their father get to him. He stood at the front door for only a few seconds before ringing the doorbell. He wasn't surprised to see a butler answer or instead of his parents. His father always loved flashing his success.

"May I help you?" The butler asked in a bored voice.

"I'm here to see Nathan." Cooper answered as he walked past the man.

"I'll go get him." The butler replied, clearly affronted that Cooper didn't wait for an invite into the house.

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"No need." Cooper replied, ignoring the man's confused expression as he walked away.

Cooper walked straight towards his father's study where he knew the man would be working. He didn't bother knocking on the double doors and simply walked in. Nathan glanced up from his paperwork, not letting his oldest son see his distaste for the unannounced visit.

"Did you forget how to knock?" Nathan asked, a distinctive edge in his tone.

"No I didn't forget. Knocking represents respect and that's the last thing you deserve." Cooper countered.

"I'm too busy for your childish antics Cooper. Say what you came to say and get out." Nathan replied without looking up from his work.

"Fine." Cooper said as he crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing on his father. "I know what happened with Blaine, what really happened, and I'm not letting you get away with it."

"You have a lot of nerve coming into to my home with this nonsense." Nathan snapped.

"It isn't nonsense. What you did to him was completely unacceptable." Cooper said firmly.

"I didn't do anything accept make him see the truth." Nathan countered.

"And what truth is that?" Cooper challenged.

"That he's nothing but a disgusting queer." Nathan sneered.

"How dare you call him that? He's your son!" Cooper said angrily.

"He is not my son! No son of mine would choose to be a fucking fag!" Nathan shouted.

"Are you even listening to yourself? He didn't choose anything. It's who he is! As his father you should've accepted him, not abuse him!" Cooper yelled back.

"Who do you think you are, coming in here and dictating me? You will show me respect in my home!" Nathan snapped as he stood up from his desk and made his way over to Cooper.

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"You don't deserve respect after what you did to Blaine." Cooper quipped. "What you deserve is to be locked up for abusing him."

"I never abused him. I taught him valuable lessons." Nathan retorted.

"What valuable lesson involves throwing your son around by his hair?" Cooper asked. Neither man noticed that Julianne Anderson was at the doorway watching her son and her husband exchange words. "What valuable lesson involves beating him with a damn belt?"

"The one that tells him how filthy he is." Nathan replied.

"He almost committed suicide because of you! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Cooper shouted, his voice wavering slightly.

"Yes, it means that he's too weak to do the world a favor and actually do it." Nathan sneered. "He should've taken that entire pill bottle and saved me the hassle of putting up with his disg-"

Cooper caught his father off guard when he punched him hard in the face, sending him several steps back. "He's stronger than you know. Stronger than you'll ever be." Cooper spat. It was then that he noticed movement in his peripheral vision. He turned his head quickly and saw his mother standing not but a few feet away. "He's your son. How could you let this happen?" He asked her, although he wasn't expecting a response. He turned his attention back on his father who was holding his bloody nose, but not before noticing the guilt and regret in his mother's eyes. "You will never see hurt him again. I'll make sure of that." He said firmly. With a final glare at his father and disapproving look at his mother, Cooper left the Anderson home with the intention of never coming back.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Connecting

Choosing to go paintballing was the best decision the Warblers had made. It was the most fun most of them had in ages. What was meant to be a one hour game turned in two hour game because the boys knew each other entirely too well. They figured out the opposing team's strategy quickly, they were all way too good at hiding, and they were ruthless when the battles occurred. The freshmen and the sophomores were the first to be eliminated from the game, leaving the juniors and seniors to fend for themselves. All friendships between the upper classmen were null and void when it came down to capturing the other's flag. When Sebastian shot Beatz just above his pelvic bone, Beatz bitched and yelled all the way to the sidelines, sending several choice words towards Sebastian whom simply laughed in satisfaction. When David shot Thad across the chest, Thad pouted his way to the sidelines while David did his victory dance on the field. When Blaine shot Wes right in the facemask, Wes glared at him disdainfully and muttered that he would make him pay during the next Warbler rehearsal.

With four players left, Sebastian on the senior team, Kurt, Blaine, and David on the junior team, they were all more than ready to end the game and head out to lunch.

"We're never going to win." Kurt said in a hushed voiced to Blaine and David. The three boys were hiding behind one of the platforms just a few feet away from the senior's home base. Sebastian was guarding the flag like it was his lifeline, refusing to give up without a fight.

"There's three of us and one of him, we so got this." David assured him.

"We so don't." Kurt argued. "He took out like four guys at once. How we've survived this long is beyond

"No, David's right. We've got this." Blaine said firmly. Blaine had been overly determined and maybe even a little mean throughout the game. Kurt assumed that it was due to all of his pent up aggression from his father and he hoped that the game would help settle him down.

"Ok then, what do you suggest?" Kurt asked irritably.

"I know you're out there plotting against me." Sebastian shouted out. "Quite pussy-footing and come on,

me."

I'm hungry."

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"We need to get him off the platform." David whispered. Blaine's face suddenly lit up with an idea he was sure would help them win. He told Kurt and David his plan, both agreeing that it might just work, and set off for their final battle.

Blaine stealthily moved around the platforms, setting his gun down behind the nearest one to him, and walked out into the open with his arms up in surrender. Sebastian caught the movement instantly and pointed his gun at Blaine but didn't shoot.

"What are you doing, Anderson?" Sebastian asked, quickly glancing around for Kurt and David. "Surrendering?" Blaine replied with a cheeky grin.

"Bullshit. Where'd Thompson and Hummel go?" Sebastian asked suspiciously.

"I don't know." Blaine lied, looking over at David who was crawling closer to Sebastian.

Sebastian quickly glanced over and saw David. He pointed his gun at David and shot but David rolled out of the way. Blaine quickly ran back over to where his gun was placed, grabbed it, and shot at Sebastian. Sebastian had caught the action and dodged the paintball pellets. The three boys immediately started to fire at each other, all three dodging the shots. Sebastian was too busy trying to hit Blaine and David, all the while avoiding getting hit himself, to notice that a gun-less Kurt was climbing up the platform from behind. Just as Kurt reached the flag, Sebastian shot Blaine in the arm. He smiled victoriously before turning his attention to David who was hiding behind a nearby platform.

Sebastian moved a step closer, his eyes glued on David until movement caught his peripheral vision. He saw the blur of Kurt running with his team flag and cursed under his breath. David's head popped out from the side and Sebastian instantly shot his mask. He then swiftly turned to Kurt who was already a good distance away. It was then that he realized that he had been played. It was also that moment that he realized just how fast Kurt could run. Sebastian ran after him, refusing to give up, and shot at Kurt.

"GO KURT GO!" David shouted out.

Sebastian stopped running, brought his gun up, and pointed it at Kurt. He stood still and waited until Kurt started climbing the platform. He waited until he was sure that he would hit Kurt before pulling the trigger. Kurt was faster than he thought however. A millisecond before the pellets hit Kurt's leg, Kurt brought his leg up, fully stepping onto the platform.

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"Damn it!" Sebastian said as he took his mask off. Kurt was standing in the middle of his team's platform, a victorious smile on his face.

The freshmen and juniors ran out from the sidelines where they had been watching, straight over to Kurt who was climbing down from the platform. Blaine and David high-fived each other as they too ran over to Kurt, both legitimately surprised that their plan had worked. Blaine was the first to reach Kurt. He grabbed Kurt by the waist and smashed their mouths together in a quick but heated kiss.

"I knew you could do it." Blaine said proudly.

Before Kurt was given the chance to respond, their teammates were surrounding them in victory. The sophomores and seniors gathered around them as well, reluctantly offering them congratulatory high fives.

"Yeah, ok, you won." Sebastian griped when he reached the group. "Can we go now? I'm starving!" The Warblers all nodded in agreement and headed to the changing rooms.

As soon as the Warblers arrived at the pizza place, Blaine excused himself to the bathroom. He was doing his best to put on a brave face but his front was starting to crack and he didn't want to worry his friends. Kurt had given him a questioning look and Blaine smiled reassuringly, hoping that it was enough to convince Kurt that he was fine. Kurt seemed to accept it so he quickly made his way to the restroom. As soon as he was alone, he let out a shaky breath. Paintballing had been enough of a distraction to make him forget about his father but as soon as they were on the bus, his mind drifted back to his nightmares.

He hated this part. He hated how weak he felt. He hated how lost he felt. He hated how his father caused him so much pain. He hated his father more than anything. A pained sob escaped him and before he knew it, he was holding himself on the floor crying. He hadn't heard the bathroom door open nor did he hear the footsteps approaching him. He did however feel the arms that embraced him.

"It's ok B, I'm here." Nick cooed softly.

Blaine let his best friend hold him as the tears fell. Other than Kurt, Nick was the one that Blaine spoke to the most. Nick was the one who initially saved him from his distress. He still clearly remembered the day Nick found him and he was forever grateful for it. - 332 -

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Four weeks. It took him four weeks to fall back into the addiction. He tried to stay away. He tried not to let the pain and sorrow swallow him whole. Even though he was safely hidden behind the walls of Dalton Academy, the memories still tormented. The dreams still left him feeling terrified and broken. He didn't want to do it. He didn't want to give in to the shadows. But after the night he had and the memories that followed, he needed to feel. He needed to forget.

Blaine watched the blood drip into sink, the familiar sensation coursing through his veins. He could feel the dream and memories slip away. He could feel his anxiety and fear being replaced by control and power. It was the only time he ever felt control. It was the only time he felt powerful. He was addicted to the feeling, knowing that no one could create it but him. He was addicted to watching the way the blood slid down his wrists. He knew he shouldn't have done it. He knew he was only hurting himself. But he needed to do it. He needed to feel the blade slice the skin. He needed to feel weightless in order to stay grounded.

With a shaky hand, he set the blade down on the sink before falling to his knees. He lifted his wrist so that more blood could drip down. He was entranced by the deep red that represented all the anguish in his life. A part of him knew that he should clean up and leave the bathroom before someone found him but the will to get up wasn't there. The will to hide what he had done was lost in the abyss of his soul. What was the point? It wasn't like anyone cared. It wasn't like he mattered.

Blaine heard the voices of his fellow classmates echoing through the bathroom walls but he didn't move. He stayed where he was and continued to watch the slow drip of blood, letting himself fall deeper into the darkness.

"Blaine?" He heard Nick call out to him but he didn't look away from deep red pool on the bathroom tiles. "Oh my God!" Nick rushed over to Blaine's side the instant he saw the proof of what he had already suspected. "Blaine, can you hear me?" Blaine nodded mutely but didn't look up. "Go get the dean!" Blaine didn't know who Nick was talking to but he didn't exactly care either. Nick walked over to one of the stalls, grabbed some toilet paper, and hurried back to Blaine's side. He gingerly picked Blaine's hand off the floor and pressed the toilet paper on the cuts to stop the bleeding.

"I wish you would talk to me." Nick whispered sorrowfully. He had been trying to get Blaine to open up since he'd arrived at Dalton but Blaine had kept himself distant. He couldn't let Nick or anyone else in. He couldn't allow himself to feel safe. "Look at me, Blaine. Please." The pained emotion behind Nick's voice was enough to make Blaine look up at the brunette. "I know it's hard. I know you feel lost and broken, but please, please let me in. Let me help you. Let me be your friend."

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The sincerity in Nick's voice combined with pleading look in his eyes brought Blaine back to reality from the darkness. He collapsed into Nick's arms and started to sob. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Blaine choked through the tears.

"Shh, it's ok. There's no need to be sorry. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Nick replied softly, his own set of tears falling. Blaine clutched onto Nick's shirt, desperate for the comfort and safety. Maybe, just maybe, he could let Nick in. Maybe if he did, the darkness would go away. Maybe if he did, he could stop hiding and learn how to be himself again.

"I'm sorry." Blaine said brokenly as he desperately tried to rein his emotions in.

"Shh, don't be sorry. You've done nothing wrong." Nick replied softly.

"I hate this. Why does this keep happening to me?" Blaine asked more to himself than to Nick.

Nick's only response was to hold his best friend tighter. He held Blaine with as much love and compassion as he could, hating the fact that he was hurting. It had been a long while since he'd seen Blaine so broken and it tore his heart apart that it was happening again. Blaine needed to be distracted, even it was momentary, so Nick offered him a way out.

"There's something I need to tell you about Kurt." Nick said quietly, instantly grabbing Blaine's attention.

"What about him? Is he ok? Is Karofsky here?" Blaine asked in a panic, forgetting his own pain for the moment.

"No, but it has to do with Karofsky." Nick replied cautiously.

"What? What's going on?" Blaine asked, quickly wiping his tears away.

Nick took a deep breath before telling Blaine the Warblers plan to help the New Directions get their revenge on Karofsky. Just as Nick had expected, Blaine pushed all of his own fears and distress aside to focus solely on Kurt. Blaine rinsed his face in the sink, ran his fingers through his semi-gelled hair, and ran out of the bathroom straight over to where Kurt was sitting with Sebastian, Beatz, Thad, and Jeff.

"Whose dumb ass idea was it to help the New Directions?" Blaine asked angrily. - 334 -

"Blaine." Kurt said softly.

"It was mine." Sebastian replied.

"Are you crazy?" Blaine snapped.

"No, I'm pissed." Sebastian quipped. "That fucker deserves everything the New Directions are going to do to him and I'm going to help them with whatever they need."

"Me too." Beatz said firmly.

"Don't you guys listen? He's going to try and come after Kurt and you idiots-"

"That's exactly why us idiots are doing this." Jeff interrupted. "We'd rather be informed about what's going on then get caught off guard."

"They're right, Blaine." Kurt said quietly.

"Kurt." Blaine said in surprise.

"I know Blaine, ok? I know. But they have a point. I can't stop the New Directions from their crazy plan, I've accepted that. If the guys get involved, at least I know I'll be ok. I feel safer with them being a part of it." Kurt shrugged.

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked him softly.

"Yeah, I am." Kurt assured him.

Blaine sighed in defeat as he took his seat next to Kurt. "So, what is this infamous plan?"

"Don't know yet. I already text Finn about it and he said that they'll come up to Dalton Wednesday to fill us in." Kurt shrugged.

"And you're absolutely sure about this?" Blaine asked him seriously.

"As sure as I can be." Kurt replied with a humorless laugh. - 335 -

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"Well whatever the plan is, I want in. There's no way I'm letting you guys do this without me." Blaine told his friends.

"You're only job is to stay with Kurt." Sebastian told him. "We'll handle Karofsky if we have to but you and Kurt will not be leaving your room at all this weekend."

"Don't for a second think we won't lock you in there." Beatz said.

"An entire weekend locked away in the room with you? That doesn't too bad to me." Kurt teased. Blaine couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped his mouth. "But seriously, I don't want you in the crossfires, Blaine. I'd feel better if you were with me when everything happened."

"Of course. Whatever you want." Blaine replied with a chaste kiss.

The conversation shifted from Karofsky to Nationals, which was another welcomed distraction. Kurt and Blaine kept their hands interlocked underneath the booth, both needing the simple comfort. Kurt could tell that Blaine had been crying in the bathroom and was glad that Nick had been there to calm him down when he wasn't. In turn, Blaine knew that their friends' decision to get involved with the plot against Karofsky was affecting Kurt more than he let on. He didn't agree with getting involved either but he would support Kurt on his decision. He only hoped that it wouldn't hurt them in the end.

When the Warblers made it back to Dalton that afternoon, most of them went straight to the common room to compete in whatever game they could find. Many of them, including Sebastian, were still bitter over the fact that their team had lost and they wanted to get their revenge. Those who weren't participating in the games either sat around and watched or went to do any unfinished homework that was due that week. Blaine had originally planned on playing a few rounds of chess with Wes but Kurt had other plans. Kurt wanted to spend the rest of the day in Blaine's arms. It was something they both needed after everything that had happened and Wes couldn't argue with his logic.

"You owe me a game, Blaine." Wes said firmly as Kurt pulled Blaine towards their dorm. "You got it, Wes." Blaine called back before disappearing down the hall.

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When they got back to their dorms, Kurt playfully demanded Blaine to get in his pajamas so they could be completely relaxed. After washing up and changing, Kurt locked their dorm door, which they rarely did, turned off both of their cell phones, and laid down on Kurt's bed. Kurt was lying flat on his back and Blaine was laying half on top of him, his head nuzzled in the crook of Kurt's neck. Kurt had one arm wrapped around Blaine's torso while the other lazily caressed Blaine's arm which was resting on his chest. They stayed in that position for a while, neither one saying anything but simply enjoying each other's presence. No matter what the world threw at them, no matter what fears they had, it was moments like this that made them remember why it was worth fighting.

"Blaine, can we talk about what happened?" Kurt asked quietly, finally breaking the silence.

"If you want." Blaine shrugged.

"No, not if I want. If you want." Kurt replied softly.

"I don't want, not really." Blaine said truthfully. "But I know you've been dying to ask me about it so ask." "I just...I wanted to talk about the suicide attempt." Kurt said cautiously.

Blaine moved his head back slightly so that he could look at Kurt, immediately noticing the worry in his eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you still think about it? About doing it?" Kurt asked, his voice wavering.

"No." Blaine assured him. "I could never do that to you." Kurt nodded mutely and looked away before Blaine could see the tears in his eyes. "What is it?"

"I can't help but think about how different my life would be if you weren't in it." Kurt said in a rush. "I keep imagining you dead in your room and I can't stop the pain I feel in my heart."

"Kurt." Blaine said brokenly as he stroked Kurt's cheek.

"I love you so much, Blaine. More than I thought possible and I hate that you went through all of that. I hate your father for doing this to you." Kurt said angrily.

"I know. I hate him too. But I'm here, Kurt. I'm not dead and I'm not going anywhere." Blaine assured him. - 337 -

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Kurt grabbed Blaine by the collar and smashed their lips in a desperate kiss. "You better not." Contents

"I won't. I promise." Blaine said softly before kissing Kurt again.

Their kisses were desperate and needy at first but soon shifted over to tender and slow. As their kisses shifted, so did their bodies. Kurt was lying on top of Blaine, their legs intertwined, one arm holding him up and the other softly stroking Blaine's hair. Blaine hands were resting on Kurt's lower back, his fingers lightly rubbing the exposed skin just above Kurt's pants. Kurt shifted slightly to get more comfortable, his half-hard rubbing against Blaine's thigh in the process. Kurt moaned softly at the sudden friction and rubbed against Blaine again. Blaine's hands moved down to Kurt's ass and squeezed, making Kurt rub against his thigh once more.

Kurt parted from their kiss for only a moment in order to move his body so that he was settled in-between Blaine's legs. He leaned back down, kissing Blaine fervently as he grinded his now full hard-on against Blaine's own erection. Blaine moaned into the kiss, his grip on Kurt's ass tightening. Kurt ground down hard, eliciting a deep moan from Blaine. Blaine stopped their kiss, grabbed Kurt's shirt, and pulled at it until it was off. He then pulled his own shirt off before grabbing Kurt by the neck and crashing their lips together. Kurt's hand traveled down to Blaine's thigh, grabbing it and bringing it up so that Blaine wrapped his leg around Kurt's torso. Kurt started kissing down Blaine's neck as he continued to grind against Blaine.

"Kurt." Blaine moaned softly. Kurt responded by nipping at Blaine's collarbone and grinding harder against Blaine. "Kurt."

"What is it baby? What do you want?" Kurt asked against Blaine's skin, his voice an octave lower than usual.

"You. I just want you." Blaine replied just above a whisper.

Kurt looked up at Blaine, wanting to be certain he heard Blaine correctly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Blaine answered through half open eyes. "I love you Kurt, more than anything or anybody in this entire world. Please, make love to me."

Kurt nodded and kissed Blaine softly before getting up from the bed to get the lube and condom. While Kurt walked over to the dresser, Blaine took off his pants and boxers. He had personally been ready to

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give himself to Kurt for a while now but they had never had the chance to be alone long enough to do it. Kurt on the other hand wasn't quite ready for that step yet and Blaine accepted it. He didn't care if it took Kurt years to let him top, he would forever wait for him. In the meantime, he needed Kurt to take him, to make him his completely.

When Kurt walked back over to the bed to see Blaine naked and ready for him, he couldn't stop the blush the crept all the way down his chest. Blaine watched Kurt adoringly as he slowly took his pants and boxers off. Kurt was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen and he hoped that he would be able to call Kurt his for the rest of his life. Kurt climbed back into the bed, kneeling in-between Blaine's legs, and placing the lube and condoms next to him. He kept his eyes locked with Blaine's as he popped the top of the lube and coated his fingers.

"You ready?" Kurt asked hoarsely.

"Yeah." Blaine breathed out in anticipation.

Kurt gulped as he reached down to Blaine's puckered hole. Despite all the research he had done, he was still nervous of hurting his boyfriend. He teased Blaine's entrance with a single digit, earning him a soft whimper from Blaine. He slowly inserted his finger which Blaine instantly reacted to. Blaine threw his head back at the intrusion, moaning quietly at how incredible it felt to have Kurt's finger in him. Kurt was sure he'd never witnessed anything sexier than Blaine at that very moment. He moved his finger in out at a slow pace, wanting to make sure that Blaine was comfortable. When Blaine moaned for more, Kurt inserted the second finger. Blaine hissed for a moment as his body got used to getting stretched.

"Kurt." Blaine groaned in pleasure.

Kurt bit his lip in arousal as he scissored his fingers inside Blaine. Blaine began to thrash underneath him, needing more. When Blaine started to thrust himself onto Kurt's fingers, Kurt added the third. Blaine's breathing hitched in his throat, his body quivering in need. Kurt picked up the pace slightly, earning a guttural moan from Blaine. He crooked his fingers like he knew he was supposed to and searched for that spot that would make Blaine go wild.

"ohmygodKurt!"Blaine moaned loudly when Kurt brushed against it. Kurt smiled to himself in satisfaction and did it again, loving the way Blaine was reacting to his touch. "Kurt, please."

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Kurt nodded as he removed his fingers, internally laughing when Blaine whined at the loss. He reached over to grab the condom but Blaine stopped him. "I want you, just you." Blaine told him, his voice heavy with arousal. "Please."

Kurt contemplated for a moment whether or not they should have sex without the condom. Thanks to the tests Dalton's doctor ran earlier in the year, they both knew he was clean. They also knew that it would still be safer if they wore protection. But Blaine was desperate to just feel Kurt. He was desperate to be entirely connected with the love of his life. Kurt knew that he should probably wear the condom anyway, despite his clean bill of health. But Blaine's wide lust-filled puppy eyes begged him not to.

"Ok." Kurt replied shakily as he tossed the condom aside.

Kurt popped the bottle of lube open, poured a generous amount on himself, moaning softly as he spread it throughout his cock. He leaned forward to capture Blaine's lips in a chaste but loving kiss before lining himself up with Blaine's entrance. He inserted himself into Blaine slowly, both boys moaning at the sheer pleasure of it. Blaine's sudden fullness almost sent him over the edge. He clenched around Kurt as he tried to get used to the slight burning sensation and Kurt had to stop himself from coming right then and there. There could've been a war going on outside and neither boy would be the wiser. Being that close, that intimate, was the greatest feeling of their lives.

"Move, please." Blaine begged.

Kurt pulled out slowly and pushed back in just as slow, making Blaine yell his name. Kurt was sure the guys heard it but he didn't care. The way Blaine yelled his name made his instincts take over. He pulled out again but thrust in just a tad faster than before, hitting Blaine's spot in the process.

"rightthereohgod!" Blaine mewled.

Kurt continued to pull out and thrust in, but faster and with more vigor each time. Blaine griped the sheets beneath him, throwing his head back in ecstasy as he got close. Kurt leaned forward, grabbed Blaine's neck, and brought Blaine's head forward so they could kiss. Kurt felt Blaine's clench around him as Blaine bit his lip and he knew that Blaine was close. He thrust harder, feeling his own orgasm build up.

"Kurt." Blaine moaned, elongating his name as he came. Kurt came just a few seconds after, moaning

Blaine's name against Blaine's neck.

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They laid there quietly for a moment, both breathing heavily as they came down from their orgasm. Blaine winced slightly when Kurt finally pulled out, to then laugh a little hysterically at what just happened. Kurt couldn't help but laugh along with him as he rolled over on his back so that he was lying next to Blaine. When the stickiness on his chest became uncomfortable, Blaine reached under the bed for the towel they kept there for said sexual activities. He lazily cleaned his chest off before Kurt grabbed the towel and cleaned the rest of him off. Once they were both cleaned, Blaine rolled over to his side, intertwined their legs, wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist, and placed his head in the crook of Kurt's neck.

"I love you." Blaine said softly.

"I love you." Kurt replied contently.

"Sing to me?" Blaine asked.

"Of course." Kurt said smiling and sang the first song that popped in his head.

Heart beats fast

Colors and promises

How to be brave

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt

Suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

Blaine smiled against Kurt's skin, feeling light and utterly loved as drowsiness took over. It didn't matter how screwed up his life was, it didn't matter how much hatred he received from his father. As long as he had Kurt in his life, as long as the perfect, porcelain angel loved him, he knew he would be ok.

I have died everyday waiting for you Darlin' don't be afraid I have loved you for a Thousand years

I'll love you for a

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Thousand more

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The Plan pt 1

Wednesday afternoon, the Warblers listened to Finn and Puck intently as they shared the details about their plan for Karofsky. None of the boys hid their surprise at the eccentric yet simple plan. Nor did they hide their disapproval. Although many of them knew exactly what Karofsky did to Kurt, they all agreed that the plan was outrageous. Something was bound to wrong and they were all worried about what would happen after Karofsky's outing.

Kurt shifted in his seat uncomfortably as his friends argued over the specifics. He never needed to hear the plan to know that it was a bad idea. Now that he knew precisely what was going on, his anxiety grew tenfold. Blaine sensed the shift in Kurt's mood and knew that he needed to get Kurt back to their room. He also knew that Kurt would most likely refuse to leave so he looked over at Sebastian for help. Sebastian, who was in a heated discussion with Puck, caught the desperate plea on Blaine's face and immediately understood what he needed to do.

"Kurt, why don't you and Blaine head back to the dorms?" Sebastian suggested. "Why?" Kurt asked suspiciously.

"Because you don't need to be here while we talk about this." Sebastian said firmly. "But I do need to be here." Kurt insisted, despite his growing anxiety.

"No, you don't. You already heard the plan, there's no reason for you to stick around while we finalize the details." Sebastian told him.

"He's right babe." Blaine said softly. "Let's go back to our room and watch a movie or something."

"But-"

"But nothing. Go cuddle and be cute, man. We got this handled." Beatz cut in.

Kurt glanced back and forth between his two best friends and boyfriend, knowing full well that they wouldn't let up until he relented. With a frustrated sigh, he mumbled 'fine', stood up from his seat, and

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stormed out of the Warbler hall. Blaine gave both Beatz and Sebastian a thankful expression before quickly following Kurt out.

As soon as the door closed behind Blaine, Sebastian whistled loudly to get everyone's attention. "We need to come up with a concrete plan, boys."

"We have a concrete plan, dude." Puck snapped.

"No, you have a stupid plan." Sebastian quipped. "Besides, I'm not talking about coming up with a plan to

get Karofsky back, I'm talking about what we're going to do when he shows up here looking for Kurt." "How do you know that he's going to show up here anyway?" Finn asked.

"You guys really don't listen to Kurt, do you?" Wes sighed, shaking his head.

"Of course they don't. If they did, they wouldn't be doing this in the first place." Beatz scoffed.

"We listen to Kurt!" Puck argued.

"No, you don't. If you did then you'd know how bad of an idea this really is." Jeff snapped. "You're just mad because Quinn's been sucking face with him." Puck said, rolling his eyes.

"No, I'm mad that you're being so inconsiderate of Kurt's feelings. Do you know what it's like to feel so hopeless and so lost that you've convinced yourself that no one loves you? Do you know what it's like to feel as though the only way out is by hurting yourself? Do you know what it's like to lose control over your life because somebody decided to be cruel to you? No, you don't. You don't know what it feels like and I bet you've never even tried to know what it feels like. Stop pretending that this is some huge favor for Kurt and admit that it's just your way of killing your own guilt for not being there for him when he needed you." Jeff said angrily.

"Dude." Finn said quietly, both upset about Jeff's insinuation and ashamed that he was right. "Like you know what any of that feels like. Don't act like your life is so hard." Puck challenged.

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"You don't know anything about my life or what I've been through. Don't pretend to know me." Jeff snapped as he stepped closer to Puck. "I know how it feels like a lot better than you. And not because it's something I personally went through but because I was there when Kurt had a panic attack his first week of school. I was there when he was so trapped in his own nightmare that I had to physically shake him out of it. I was there when he cried to the point of exhaustion. I was there. We were all there. That's a hell of a lot more than you can say."

"He never told us that something was wrong! How were we supposed to know?" Puck replied defensively.

"He shouldn't have had to tell you! As his friends you should've known that something was wrong. But no, you were all too self-involved to realize that he was slowly dying!" Jeff yelled.

"Enough." Sebastian said loudly, giving Nick a look as if to say, 'Get him before he loses it.' Nick walked over to Jeff, who was fuming, and pulled at him until he backed off of Puck.

"We can point fingers and place blame all we want but that's not going to help Kurt." Wes said as he stepped forward. "The New Directions have their plan set out whether we agree with it or not. Now we have to come up with something for when Karofsky shows up here."

"How do you know that he'll show up here?" Finn asked again in irritation.

"Because that's what he does, big foot." Sebastian answered, smirking at the glare Finn was sending him. "If you guys were to actually listen to Kurt, you'd know that Karofsky is going to blame him for what happens at that party and he will show up here looking for revenge. In his mind, Kurt's at fault for everything and he will try and retaliate. That's why we have to come up with a plan to make sure he doesn't get to Kurt."

"What are you thinking, Bastian?" Thad asked quietly. He knew his boyfriend well enough to recognize the scheming look on his face. It was expression Thad hated.

"Nothing you're going to approve of I'm sure, but I think it just might work." Sebastian replied apologetically. Thad nodded slowly and looked away, not wanting to meet Sebastian's gaze.

"What's the plan, Bastian?" Beatz asked. Sebastian smiled wickedly before sharing the details to an idea he

prayed would work.

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That Saturday afternoon, Kurt was so terrified of what was to come that he created himself a cocoon of sorts with Blaine's blankets. Blaine had gone down to the kitchen to pick up some food for them and in the meantime, Kurt hid himself away. In just a few hours, Karofsky would be outed in front of all the juniors and seniors of McKinley. They would all be witness to Karofsky's drug use and sexuality and Kurt couldn't control the fear that grasped him. There were so many things that could go wrong with the New Direction's plan that Kurt couldn't even decide which possible mishap terrified him the most.

He wasn't fond of Sebastian's part in the plan either. He hated that his best friend was putting himself in a possibly dangerous situation for him. He hated the look on Thad's face when Sebastian came and explained everything to him and Blaine. Thad had avoided him the rest of the week because of Sebastian's plan and he couldn't blame him. If Blaine was doing something that drastic for another guy, he'd feel insecure too. There was no convincing Sebastian out of it though, no matter how much he begged. He hated feeling so helpless and he could only hope that luck would be on their side. Kurt was already so lost in his fears that when he heard the bedroom door open, he didn't move a single muscle.

"I know you said you weren't all that hungry but I brought you-" Blaine stopped abruptly as soon as he noticed that Kurt was no longer sitting on the bed but hiding in a mountain of blankets.

He set the food he brought down on his desk and walked over to Kurt's eerily still body. It took him a minute to find an entrance into Kurt's cocoon but once he did, he pulled the blankets back and crawled into the dark space. Kurt stayed still as Blaine adjusted himself into the blankets. He was only half aware of his surroundings and only when Blaine's fingertips caressed his cheek did he open his eyes.

"I'm so scared, Blaine." Kurt whispered brokenly.

"I know you are but everything's going to be fine." Blaine replied softly. "How do you know?" Kurt snapped.

"Because there are at least forty guys surrounding the school grounds for you right now." Sebastian and David had talked to the Lacrosse team about what was happening and while only a few of them knew Kurt on a personal level, they all agreed to help out. The Dalton boys would do anything to make sure that their brothers were safe. "No matter what happens at that party, he's not getting to you." Blaine assured him.

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"I hate this so much." Kurt cried. "I hate that everyone is putting themselves in danger just for me."

"Kurt, if this was happening to any other boy at this school, would you turn away or would you everything in your power to help?" Blaine asked.

"I'd help, you know I would." Kurt said in frustration.

"Exactly. Us Dalton boys stick together, no matter what. The guys wouldn't be doing this if they didn't want to." Blaine said.

"But the Lacrosse team barely even knows me." Kurt argued.

"So what? Bastian's and David's involvement is enough of an incentive for them to do this. Besides, Dalton boys take care of their own. You know that." Blaine replied.

"I know. I just..."

"I know." Blaine sighed. "Don't think about it for now. Let's eat some food and then we can watch a movie or talk. Whatever you want."

"I'm not hungry." Kurt commented.

"You haven't eaten all day, baby. Please eat something." Blaine implored.

Kurt sighed heavily but relented. Truthfully, he was hungry but his nerves were so shot that he hadn't wanted to upset his stomach. With Blaine giving him puppy eyes though, he couldn't say no. He reluctantly started to pull back the layers of blankets and sat up in the bed. Just as Blaine reached for the food, Sebastian knocked on their door and let himself in.

"Everything ok in here?" Sebastian asked. Blaine nodded while Kurt kept his eyes focused on the ground. "Alright. I just wanted to check in before I took my position."

"Everybody's all set up?" Blaine asked.

"Yep. He'd have to be a damn magician to get passed us." Sebastian said proudly.

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"Please be careful." Kurt barely whispered.

"Don't worry Hummel, I got this." Sebastian assured him. Kurt nodded slowly but said nothing. Sebastian nodded at Blaine who gave him a small smile in return and walked out of their room to get ready.

Quinn was nervous, terrified even. After months of planning, they were finally going through with their plan and she couldn't control the anxiety she felt. Jeff and her had stayed up late talking about both parts of the plan, analyzing every detail and coming up with back up plans in case something went wrong. She had fallen asleep confident that everything would work out. But now that she was standing in front of Karofsky's house, she was scared.

"You can do this, Q." Quinn heard Artie say into her earpiece.

"I know, just give me a minute." She replied quietly, glancing in the direction she knew Artie, Finn, and Rachel were hiding. She took a few deep breaths, adjusted the microphone in her bra one last time, and finally knocked on the front door. A few minutes later, a disgruntled Karofsky opened the door. "About damn time." She snapped as she pushed past him.

"By all means, come in." Karofsky responded flatly as he closed the front door. When he turned to look at Quinn, she was eyeing his outfit, her distaste evident. "What?"

"You're not wearing that tonight." She said firmly.

"What's wrong with this?" Karofsky asked as he glanced down at his casual appearance.

"Everything." Quinn scoffed. "We're trying to get people to vote us Prom King and Prom Queen, Dave. You need to go change, like now."

"No one cares about what I'm wearing." Karofsky said, rolling his eyes.

"I care and I say you need to change so go change. I'll put these posters up while you choose a suitable outfit." Quinn told him as she unrolled their campaign posters.

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"Whatever." Karofsky grumbled before heading towards his room. As soon as his bedroom door closed, Quinn walked over to Karofsky's laptop that was set up in the living room. She quickly logged into the security site Artie had set up and connected it to the laptop Artie had with him in Finn's truck.

"Artie, are you connected?" She whispered at her chest.

"I'm in, Q." Artie confirmed.

"Alright, let the games begin." She replied mischievously. Her nerves from earlier were replaced by anticipation. Soon enough, Karofsky would feel the pain of utter humiliation and Quinn was more than ready for everything to finally be over.

An hour and a half later, the party was in full swing. The Karofsky home was packed with juniors and seniors alike, most of them hanging out in the living room watching the music videos Karofsky's laptop projected on the wall. Puck, Santana, and Brittany kept themselves close to Karofsky and Quinn, Puck and Santana openly glaring at them while Brittany danced to the beat of the music. As far as the student body was concerned, the New Directions were no longer friends with Quinn because she was dating Karofsky. When Jacob Ben Israel asked them why they were even there, Santana said it was because they were making sure that everyone knew to vote for her and Puck, not Quinn and Karofsky.

Jacob had immediately walked to Quinn and Karofsky to interview them for his blog but stopped in his tracks when he glanced at the video that was playing on the wall. Karofsky and the town's known drug dealer were talking in his room. The video itself didn't play any sound but it was obvious by their interaction that they were well acquainted. Karofsky walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room when he no longer heard the music playing in the background. As soon as he walked in, all eyes were on him.

"Dave! What the hell is this?" Quinn asked him frantically.

"What are you talking about?" Karofsky asked her before finally glancing at the wall where the video was playing.

His whole body went tense as video Karofsky snorted a line of cocaine. He had no idea where the video came from but he knew what was coming next. He ran over to his laptop to turn off the video but the

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security that Artie was controlling prevented him from stopping it. A whole new panic set in when he couldn't get past the firewall. He looked back up at the video just as the drug dealer grabbed him by the hips. Karofsky started smashing the buttons on his laptop, desperate to make the video stop. Nothing he did worked and before he could truly process what was happening, video Karofsky was being pinned up against his bedroom wall by the drug dealer.

"What the fuck, Karofsky?" Azimio said angrily. "You's a fucking homo dude?!" "This just in, David Karofsky is GAY!" Jacob said into his recorder.

"Dave! Turn that off!" Quinn shouted. Karofsky stood there frozen as his life exploded around him. The video continued to play on a loop, allowing more people to witness his secrets.

"Quinn, Karofsky's dad just pulled up!" A panicked Artie shouted into Quinn's earpiece. Quinn shot Santana, Puck, and Brittany an anxious look which they knew meant 'get out'. Santana gave Quinn a nod before the three of them stealthily snuck away.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Rachel shouted at Artie.

"I'm trying woman!" Artie snapped.

"Hurry dude! His dad's walking into the house!" Finn panicked. Artie's fingers worked quickly to not only get the video to turn off, but to erase any and all traces of evidence that connected him to the video. By the time Artie successfully took the video down however, it was too late.

Mr. Karofsky was supposed to be out of town until late that night but his meeting had been canceled. He knew that his son was having some party to get his classmates to vote for him for Prom King but when he walked into the house, he was thrown for loop. The football players were cornering his son and pushing him against the wall roughly.

Before he could say anything, the video that was playing caught his attention. He watched almost the entire video before it suddenly shut off. It was then that Karofsky noticed his dad standing there

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speechless. Another hard shove from Azimio brought his attention back to the football team. He angrily shoved his way through his teammates and stormed out of the house, ignoring the calls from his dad. Without thinking about where he was going, he got into his truck and peeled out of the driveway.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The Plan pt 2

The New Directions gathered in Puck's basement after their plan took an unexpected turn. They had all assumed that Karofsky would get the crap beaten out of him and that his father would find him hours later once the party was over. They hadn't anticipated that Mr. Karofsky would get home early and they certainly hadn't anticipated that Karofsky would make it out of the house unharmed. Now all they could do was worry about where Karofsky was headed.

"Maybe he went to the dealer's house for refuge or something." Tina suggested.

"It's his dealer girl Chang, not his friend." Santana scoffed. "I'll bet you anything he's headed straight to the preppies."

"He is." Quinn confirmed quietly. "Jeff just texted me that they spotted his truck."

"See!" Santana shouted.

"We sent him straight there guys." Mercedes said. "This is our fault."

"How were we supposed to know that his dad was going to show up?" Puck tried to reason.

"It doesn't matter, Noah." Rachel shook her head. "Kurt warned us that Karofsky would show up there and we didn't listen to him. Mercedes is right, this is our fault."

"What do we do now?" Tina asked.

"Is there anything we can do?" Mike countered.

"He isn't going to hurt Kurt again is he?" Brittany asked.

"No, the Warblers won't let him anywhere near Kurt." Quinn assured her.

"They deserve him more than we do." Brittany said quietly. "I know we were hoping to get him to come back after all this but I don't think he should. The Warblers love him more."

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"We love him too." Finn argued.

"Yeah but they love him more. They didn't wait for something bad to happen to protect him like we did. They've been there for him since the day he transferred. They deserve to keep him, not us." Brittany said as a few tears streamed down her face.

"Brittany's right. We don't deserve him." Rachel said quietly, her own tears spilling over.

"So what now?" Artie wondered.

"Now we wait." Quinn sighed. The New Directions glanced at each other apprehensively. They wanted to go to Dalton and make sure that Karofsky didn't get to Kurt. But after the mess they already made, they decided to leave the rest up to Sebastian. They only hoped his plan went better than theirs.

Karofsky was in a daze the entire two hours he drove. He couldn't believe what had happened to him. He couldn't believe how his life was ruined within a just a few minutes. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't go back to McKinley; the football team would eat him alive if he did. Not to mention his father. What was his father going to do now that he knew his son's secrets? Would he send him away? Would he beat him? Would he disown him?

Karofsky struggled with the tears that streamed down his face as he parked his truck on the curb. He was embarrassed and scared over what his webcam recorded. He didn't even know webcams could do that. He punched the steering wheel angrily, cursing himself. When he noticed the tears running down his cheeks, it angered him even more. His life was over and it was entirely Kurt's fault.

If Kurt hadn't been so open about his homosexuality then he never would've questioned himself. If Kurt hadn't fought with him over everything then he never would've felt the need to prove his masculinity. If Kurt hadn't gotten under his skin then he never would've gotten desperate enough to contact Duke. If Kurt hadn't been so easy to break then he never would've tried to make him crack.

A knock on Karofsky's window broke him out his reverie. He turned his head quickly at the noise and was shocked to see a tall lanky handsome boy in a prep school uniform standing there. He glanced around a moment and it was then that he realized he had driven to Dalton. What was he even doing there? How

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could he have driven all the way out to Westerville without realizing it? Did Kurt really have that much of a hold on him that he searched him out without knowing?

"David, open the door." Sebastian said, bringing Karofsky back from his thoughts.

Karofsky put his front back up as best he could before rolling down the window. "What the hell do you want, preppy?" he snarled, though it lacked conviction. "How do you even know my name?"

"I know a lot of things, David." Sebastian replied with a cheeky grin. "The name's Sebastian by the way, not preppy."

"Well, Sebastian, get out of my damn way!" Karofsky barked back. Very few people acknowledged him by his full name. The fact that Sebastian did was making him feel more vulnerable than he already was.

"I can't do that, David." Sebastian said shaking his head. "You see those guys over there?" Karofsky turned his head towards the direction Sebastian gestured at and saw a group of boys sending glares his way. "They don't like trespassers and after your last visit, they are itching to kick your ass. Now, I, being the ever understanding stud that I am, would like to offer you a deal."

"A deal?" Karofsky asked quietly as he turned his attention back on Sebastian. "What kind of deal?"

"We're going to go have a little chat." Sebastian smirked. "You're going to scoot over, I'm going to drive, and then we are going to talk."

"We're going to go talk?" Karofsky scoffed.

"Or they can teach you a lesson in manners." Sebastian shrugged. "It's your choice, David."

Karofsky glanced back at the group of boys before nodding slowly. He unbuckled his seatbelt, unlocked his door, and scooted over to let Sebastian take the driver's seat. Sebastian grinned wickedly as he opened the door and stepped into the truck.

"Smart choice, sweetheart." Sebastian told Karofsky with a wink. Due to his already vulnerable state, Karofsky couldn't help but blush at the action. This is going to be easier than I thought. Sebastian thought to himself as he turned the truck on and pulled away from the school.

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Karofsky watched Sebastian out of the corner of his eye as they drove through Westerville. Sebastian hadn't said a word the entire thirty minute drive. Instead, he turned the radio on and sang along with the songs that came on. Karofsky had meant to say something but Sebastian's cool exterior and confidence intimidated him. Every so often Sebastian would glance at Karofsky, sending him a flirtatious smirk and wink, before turning his attention back on the road. Karofsky had no idea what Sebastian was playing at and it was making him anxious.

Sebastian drove them to what the Westerville kids knew as make-out hill, knowing that they would have plenty of privacy. Karofsky shifted uneasily as they drove further into the trees and away from public view. He looked at the side mirror and it was then that he noticed the blue Sedan following them. He quickly turned around to see who was in the car and recognized the two Warblers.

"This was your plan all along wasn't it? Instead of beating me up at the school, you and your stupid little boyfriends are going to do it out here!" Karofsky accused angrily.

"Relax, sweetheart." Sebastian chuckled as he pulled to a stop. "They're only here in case things get out of hand."

"Out of hand?" Karofsky asked nervously as Sebastian scooted closer to him.

"Don't worry, David. I got you." Sebastian all but purred before attaching his lips to Karofsky's neck. "What the hell are you doing?" Karofsky protested.

"Stop thinking and enjoy it." Sebastian whispered hotly into his ear as his hand traveled up Karofsky's thigh. Karofsky tried protesting again but the way Sebastian's tongue lapped over his skin combined with the strong hand that lay firmly on his leg was too much for him to ignore.

After leaving an undoubtedly impressive hickey on Karofsky's neck, Sebastian spoke again. "Tell me something, David. Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Karofsky breathed out.

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"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, sweetheart." Sebastian said as he began to palm Karofsky through his jeans.

"I d-don't know w-what you're talking about." Karofsky replied, although he had a fairly good idea.

Sebastian stroked Karofsky harder and nipped at his earlobe. Karofsky tried to control himself but the rougher Sebastian was with him, the more turned on he became. When he unintentionally released a guttural moan, Sebastian leaned back just enough to look at him.

"Why'd you do it? Tell me the truth." Sebastian said firmly, pressing down on Karofsky just hard enough to be uncomfortable instead of pleasurable. When Karofsky didn't answer, Sebastian pushed down harder.

"I don't know!" Karofsky groaned in pain.

"You know what I think?" Sebastian said, releasing some of the pressure. "I think you did it because you were scared." Karofsky opened his mouth to protest but was cut off when Sebastian added more pressure. "You were scared of how he made you feel but instead of talking to him, you took the cowardly way out and took advantage of him. Do you realize how pathetic that is? Do you realize how much of a monster that makes you? You could've found a real friend in him but you were too worried about what your loser friends would say if they saw you two talking." Between the painful pressure on his crotch and the harsh tone behind Sebastian's voice, Karofsky couldn't help but let a few tears stream down his face.

"What would they say? Your football buddies? How would they react to finding out that you're gay?" Sebastian asked, releasing some of the pressure.

"They'd k-kick my ass." Karofsky choked out.

"They're fucking idiots." Sebastian said seriously. "There's nothing wrong with you just because you prefer cock over pussy. They're not real friends if they can't accept you for who you are." Karofsky couldn't answer. He simply cried harder as the memories of the party came rushing back. Sebastian took his hand off of Karofsky entirely and sat back to look at the broken boy. "You aren't the only one with a fucked up life, David. You aren't the only one who's made bad choices out of fear and hopelessness."

"I'm sorry." Karofsky cried into his hands. "I'm so sorry." - 356 -

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"Look at me, David." Sebastian said softly. Karofsky reluctantly brought his head up and looked at Sebastian. "I know it's hard to accept the fact that you're different from most people. That doesn't mean that you should let them control you. That doesn't mean you should let them win." Karofsky turned away from Sebastian's intense gaze, unable to control the broken sob. "Go home, David. Talk to your parents and tell them the truth. That's the only way you're ever going to start to heal."

"What if my dad hates me?" Karofsky asked quietly.

"Then he's just as bad as the assholes you call friends." Sebastian told him. "Call this number. Talk to them. They'll help you." Sebastian pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and put it on the dashboard before scooting back over to the driver's side to get out. "Don't come back to Dalton, David. I only helped you this once because I know you're just as broken as the rest of us. But if you come back to Dalton again, if you go anywhere near Kurt again, you'll get more than just an ass beating."

Karofsky glanced up at Sebastian, swallowing hard when he saw the seriousness behind Sebastian's eyes. He nodded slowly and looked away once more. Sebastian didn't hesitate to get out of the truck. He hurried over to David's Sedan and got into the back seat.

"Let's go." Sebastian told them.

"You alright, Bastian?" Beatz asked with concern.

"I'm fine. Let's go." Sebastian replied flatly. Beatz and David shared a worried glance before David turned the car on and drove off. Sebastian didn't say a word the entire drive back to Dalton.

"This is taking too long. Why is this taking so long? He should've been back by now." Kurt said in a panic. He was pacing the dorm room impatiently, all the while trying to calm his nerves.

"Kurt, you need to relax. All you're doing is stressing yourself out more." Blaine said softly.

"How can I relax? Bastian's out there with Karofsky doing God knows what and it's all just some ploy to get him to leave me alone. What if it doesn't work? What if Karofsky sees right through Bastian's plan? What if he gets angry and attacks Bastian? What if-"

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"He's fine, Kurt." Blaine tried to assure him. "This is Bastian we're talking about. Do you really think he would be doing this if he didn't think it would work?"

"Well, no, but-"

"But nothing. He's fine. Come sit down with me, please." Blaine said softly. Kurt huffed in aggravation before walking over to sit on the bed with Blaine.

"I just don't want him to get hurt." Kurt said quietly.

"I know. I don't either. That's why David and Beatz went with him. They'll make sure that nothing happens to him, alright?" Blaine said as he gently stroked Kurt's cheek.

"Yeah, alright." Kurt nodded. "What do you think Bastian's saying to him?"

Before Blaine could answer, there was soft knock on the door. "Come in." Blaine called out. Sebastian opened the door slowly and entered the room.

"What happened? Are you ok? Did he hurt you? What'd you say to him? What did he say? What-"

"Relax, princess." Sebastian interrupted, earning him a death glare from Kurt.

"You know I hate it when you call me that." Kurt complained. "I demand you tell what happened."

Sebastian crossed his arms and rolled his eyes before answering. "We talked. That's what happened. He's not going to bother you again so you can relax."

"Talked about what?" Kurt asked.

"Doesn't matter. It's done and over with, ok? Just let it go and try to move on." Sebastian sighed. "Bastian." Kurt whined.

"Kurt." Sebastian mocked, then sighed. "Just let it go, ok? It's done."

Kurt wanted to protest but stopped when Blaine gave his thigh a light squeeze. "Fine." - 358 -

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"Good." Sebastian said with a nod and walked out of the room.

Blaine watched Sebastian go, then turned back to Kurt. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?" Blaine asked him.

"No, I'm not." Kurt replied firmly. "I want to know what the hell happened."

"And maybe one day you will." Blaine shrugged. "But for now, why don't you let me take your mind of it?" he said with a cheeky grin as his hand slowly massaged Kurt's thigh.

"I guess I could do that." Kurt sighed, although he could already feel the flush of his cheeks. "I was hoping you'd say that." Blaine chuckled before attaching his lips to Kurt's.

When Sebastian entered the room he shared with Thad, Thad was sitting at his desk waiting for him. He didn't say anything to his boyfriend as he walked over to the bed. He sat down, placed his elbows on his knees, and dropped his head into his hands. Thad stood up from his chair, walked over to Sebastian, and sat down next to him.

"Bas?" Thad said quietly. Upon hearing his name, Sebastian let go of the walls and started crying. "Shh, it's ok, baby. You're ok."

Sebastian reached for his boyfriend and let Thad hold him as the tears streamed down his face. Sebastian understood Karofsky's loss of control better than anyone. He knew that there were no great differences between the things that Karofsky did to Kurt and what he used to do himself. Seducing someone into his bed wasn't really all that different from forcing them. Both made a person feel powerful and untouchable and using those skills again on Karofsky that night gave him more of a reminder of that familiar rush than he would have liked. He was terrified that the taste of it would reawaken his addiction, and that if he wasn't careful the need to feel that rush over and over would swallow him whole again.

"Don't let me fall. Please. Please, don't let me fall." Sebastian sobbed into Thad's shoulder. - 359 -

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"I won't. I promise." Thad assured him. He knew why Sebastian was upset. He knew that Sebastian would find parallels between himself and Karofsky. He also knew that his boyfriend was stronger than that and he promised himself that he would never let Sebastian fall back into his old ways.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Let's Talk About This

As the next four weeks passed, Kurt and Blaine slowly but surely eased back into their Dalton routine. Kurt was on edge the entire first week. Despite Sebastian's reassurance that Karofsky wasn't going to bother him again, he couldn't help but worry. How could he not? He had little information about what happened that night and no one wanted to fill him in. While he understood his friends' attempt to keep him stress-free, it was infuriating not knowing anything. It wasn't until the end of the second week that Kurt received any news concerning Karofsky.

According to Finn, Karofsky and his dad packed up their things and skipped town. No one knew exactly what happened but the house had been emptied and put up for sale. It was hard for Kurt to accept at first, simply because things were never that easy. But as the days went on he finally started to relax. Throughout the following two weeks, he relished in the current simplicity of his life. He was still a little stressed over schoolwork and their upcoming Nationals competition, but for the first time in years, he felt like he could breathe.

During those four weeks, Blaine did his best not to let his own demons and fears get the best of him. He was still having nightmares, though not as often, and he worried about what was going to happen with his father. Cooper had promised him that he would take care of everything, but he didn't give Blaine any details. A part of Blaine was relieved that Cooper stepped in. Another part of him however, the part that tried tormenting him on a daily basis, wouldn't accept anything less than pain and fear.

Without knowing what Cooper planned, he couldn't trust it. His father was powerful, more powerful than his brother, and he found it impossible to believe that Cooper could protect him. He worried that trying to separate himself from his father would only make him more violent, more dangerous. The pain may be gone for now, but his fear was even greater. His lack of control over what was happening only made matters worse. It was because of this that Blaine ignored Cooper's recent phone calls.

He knew it was childish to avoid his brother, especially since he was working so hard to keep Blaine safe. But he knew that if he talked to Cooper, he would end up getting angry, and the last thing he needed to be was angry. Being angry and scared eventually led to feeling hopeless, and feeling hopeless almost always led to cutting. It had been a long time since he harmed himself, but it was and would always be something he struggled to control.

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On Thursday evening of the fourth week, Kurt and Blaine were cuddled up in Blaine's bed watching a movie before heading off to sleep. It didn't take long for Blaine to realize that Kurt wasn't paying attention though. He knew that Kurt's thoughts were wrapped up in Sebastian but he couldn't blame him. The two had barely talked after everything with Karofsky happened and it was starting to take its toll on Kurt.

"Baby, are you ok?" Blaine asked softly.

Kurt turned away from the computer screen and gave Blaine a small smile. "I'm fine." Blaine raised his eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. After a moment of silent staring, Kurt sighed and looked away. "Alright, I'm not fine."

"Thinking about Bastian again?" Blaine asked knowingly.

"I just wish he'd talk to me." Kurt complained. "I wish I knew what the hell happened. It's so obvious that something's wrong, that he's upset with me. Why won't he just tell me what it is?"

"I don't think he's upset with you." Blaine said. "I think he's just hiding." "But from what?" Kurt asked exasperatedly. "What did Karofsky do to him?"

Blaine shrugged and gave Kurt an apologetic half smile. "I don't know. He hasn't talked to me either." Kurt let out a heavy sigh and rested his head on Blaine's shoulder. "Have you tried talking to Thad?"

"Thad hates me." Kurt replied flatly.

"He does not hate you." Blaine assured him.

"I made his boyfriend seduce the guy that raped me, Blaine. Of course he hates me." Kurt argued.

Blaine lifted Kurt's head of his shoulder and looked at him with utmost seriousness. "You did not make Bastian do anything. You can't blame yourself for the choice he made."

"But-"

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"No buts." Blaine cut him off. "Talk to Thad. I'm sure he'll be willing to tell you something."

Kurt shrunk a little, giving Blaine a small pout. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He questioned. "Maybe, maybe not. But it's worth a shot." Blaine reasoned.

Kurt nodded and sighed. "Ok, I'll talk to him."

"Good." Blaine said with a smile. He kissed Kurt on the forehead before turning his attention back to the movie, only to be interrupted when his cell phone rang. He glanced over at his desk and saw that it was Cooper. He chose to ignore the call.

"Blaine, don't you think it's time you talked to your brother." Kurt said cautiously.

"I don't want to talk to him." Blaine said much like a stubborn child.

"I know but that doesn't mean you shouldn't." Kurt replied softly. "I know you're upset with him because he's not telling you anything about your dad, but maybe if you talk to him and tell him why it upsets you, he'll fill you in."

Blaine stayed quiet for a moment, his gaze focused on the laptop screen though he was no longer watching the movie. "I just hate not having a say in what's going on." He said just above a whisper.

"Then tell him that." Kurt told him. Blaine's cell phone rang again, making Blaine huff in aggravation. "Talk to him. I'll even go talk to Thad now so you can have some space." Kurt untangled his body from Blaine, much to Blaine's dismay, and stood up. "Call your brother before he sends the rescue squad over here."

Blaine snorted a laugh and nodded. "Good luck with Thad." He said as Kurt walked over to the door.

"Good luck with Cooper." Kurt countered before blowing Blaine a kiss and walking out.

Blaine paused the movie, got up from his bed, and sat down at his desk. He picked up his cellphone and went to Cooper's contact info. He stared at the number for a moment, his finger hovering over it. He took a deep breath, trying to build up his courage, and called his brother.

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Kurt stood outside Thad and Sebastian's dorm room door for only a moment before knocking. He knew that Sebastian was most likely at the gym and hoped that Thad decided to stay in instead of going to the library. Another minute or so passed before the door opened to reveal a sleepy Thad.

"Hey." Thad said with a yawn. "Bastian's working out."

"I know." Kurt nodded. "I came here to see you actually." Thad's eyes widened in surprise but he let Kurt in nonetheless. "Were you sleeping?"

"I was just napping." Thad said dismissively. "What's going on?"

Kurt took a deep breath and wrung his hands nervously. "I wanted to talk to you about Bastian." "What about him?" Thad asked, a defensive tone to his voice.

"Is he mad at me?" Kurt asked quickly, his worries of the last few weeks suddenly spilling out. "Have I done something to piss him off? Because he's barely talked to me in weeks and it's driving me crazy and I keep trying to talk to him but he just shuts me out and I don't know what I did but I know it has something to do with Karofsky and I just wish he would let me in or give me a sign that we're ok or-"

"Dude, slow down." Thad interrupted, raising his hands in surrender. "Jeez, when you get going, you really get going."

"Sorry." Kurt said sheepishly.

Thad sighed heavily and shook his head. "Why don't you sit down." He said, gesturing to the bed they never used. Kurt took a seat, placed his hands on his lap, and waited for Thad to continue. "You haven't done anything wrong and he's not mad at you. I promise."

"Then why won't he talk to me? I thought we were friends." Kurt replied softly.

"You are friends." Thad assured him. "In fact, other than me, you're the closest friend he has." "Then why is he shutting me out?" Kurt asked again.

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"Because he's got shit going on." Thad snapped, catching Kurt off guard. "I'm sorry. I'm not my nicest right when I wake up. I've been telling him for weeks to talk to you but he's stubborn as hell."

"Is he ok?" Kurt asked quietly.

"He's...he's getting there." Thad replied as he took a seat next to Kurt. "Look, what he did for you, talking to Karofsky like that, it put him in a bad place and he's just trying to deal with it."

"What do you mean it put him in a bad place?" Kurt questioned worriedly.

"I can't be the one to tell you." Thad said apolitically. "I'll get him to talk to you though, I promise."

Kurt nodded, giving Thad a sad smile. "Ok. Thank you."

"Sure."

"Can I ask you something else?" Kurt said cautiously.

"Go ahead." Thad said curiously.

"Do you hate me?" Kurt asked slowly.

"What? No. What gave you that idea?" Thad asked bemused.

"I don't know." Kurt shrugged. "Everything with Bastian's just been so weird, and I know that you weren't a fan of what he did for me so I thought that maybe you hated me because of it."

"I don't hate you, Kurt." Thad assured him. "I just tend to get overprotective when it comes to Bastian. I might've been a little jealous of you though." he chuckled

"Why?" Kurt asked, taken aback by the comment.

"Because of the friendship you have with Bastian." Thad admitted. "I was used to being the only who got to see the real him and then you came along and suddenly it felt like he was leaving me behind, like I didn't matter anymore." Kurt opened his mouth to talk but Thad stopped him. "I'm not saying this to upset you, I'm just being honest. I know now that what Bastian and I have is entirely different from what you two

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have. But you do have something between you, a connection that neither Blaine nor I can touch. But I also know that the connection is strictly platonic. I'm sorry if it seemed like I hated you. That was never my intent. It just took me a while to accept that I'm not the only important guy in his life."

"I never meant to come in and steal him away or anything." Kurt said quietly.

"I know, and really, you didn't. If anything, you're the reason we're together now." Thad replied with small smile.

"All I did was force him to pull his head out of his ass." Kurt joked.

"And for that reason alone, I can't hate you." Thad laughed. "I know we don't talk much, but know that I'm here if you ever want talk or hang out. Bastian's not the only good listener ya know."

"I know." Kurt nodded. "And the same goes for you. Blaine's not the only one with good advice, and sometimes his advice isn't even that great."

"No, it isn't." Thad laughed. "Like the time he convinced Derek to sing to that girl at that boutique in the mall."

"Oh that was bad." Kurt groaned. "I still can't believe we actually went along with it. That poor girl looked like she wanted to die from sheer embarrassment! I mean, seriously? Who serenades someone in the middle of the mall?"

"Charming young men in blazers, duh." Thad replied, sending both into a fit of giggles. "Thanks for talking to me." Kurt said as their laughter died down.

"Of course." Thad nodded. "And don't worry about Bastian. I'll pull his head out of his ass and make him talk to you."

"I'd appreciate that." Kurt said softly. "I'm going to go before he gets back. Night, Thad." He said as he stood up and headed for the door.

"Night, Kurt." Thad replied. He waited until Kurt was out of the room to pull his cellphone out and text

Sebastian.

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You and I are having a serious talk when you get in. Love you. xoxo – Thad

"It's good to know you remembered how to use a phone, Blaine." Cooper said when he answered Blaine's call, his voice teasing yet stern.

"Hey, Coop." Blaine replied guiltily. "Sorry about that. I've been busy with school and the Warblers and stuff."

"Uh, huh." Cooper said unconvinced. "How are you doing?"

"I'm ok." Blaine replied. "The nightmares aren't happening as often so that's good."

"Glad to hear." Cooper said, relief evident in his voice. "Are you going to grace us with your presence this weekend or do I need to call a rescue team to bring you home?" Blaine couldn't help but laugh at Cooper's choice of words. "What?"

"It's nothing really." Blaine said as his laughter died away. "Kurt just basically said you would do that if I didn't call you back."

"He's a smart boy." Cooper teased. "Seriously, though. Are you coming home this weekend?"

Blaine hesitated for a minute, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "About that...there's actually something I wanted to talk to you about."

"I'm listening." Cooper said, curiosity and concern evident.

Blaine rubbed his neck nervously and took a deep breath. "I want to know what's going with Dad." He said quickly.

"Blaine-"

"No, don't." Blaine interrupted. "Don't tell me not to worry about it or that you're handling it. I want to

know what's going on." He said firmly.

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"Baby brother, please." Cooper said softly. "We've talked about this already. I'm not going to stress you out with this crap. You don't need to know what's going on. You just need to focus on yourself and school."

"I do need to know what's going on!" Blaine nearly yelled into the phone. "I'm already stressing out about this crap because it's my crap! You can't just come back and take control of my life!"

"Blaine, listen-"

"No, you listen." Blaine said angrily as he stood up from his seat. "You have no idea what's it like to have no control over your life, to have someone dictate your every move. You have no idea what's it like to feel lost or completely worthless. Most of my life hasn't been my own because of him, and I have worked really damn hard to keep my fears in control. I'm sorry Cooper, but you can't suddenly start deciding what's best for me."

When Cooper didn't respond, Blaine knew he was taking things too far. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing the anger to go away. "I love you Coop, and I know you're only trying to protect me but I'm only stressing out more by not knowing what's going on. I'm not a little kid anymore, I'm 17. I need to be able to fight my battles. I need to be able to stay strong when I'm at my weakest. I can't do that if I have no say in what's happening in my life. I need you to help me with my life and my future, not control it."

Cooper sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He knew Blaine was right, but it was hard for him to accept. Ever since he'd been back and found his baby brother in pain, his need to protect him jumped into high gear. He still saw Blaine as the 10 year old little boy who dressed up in a Robin-like costume with kitten ears. But Blaine wasn't a 10 years old anymore and they weren't playing superhero. This was real life and if Cooper ever expected Blaine to grow into a healthy adult, he needed to stop coddling him.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Cooper replied softly. "I can't keep acting like you're going to break when you're not. I keep telling you how strong you are yet I don't give you the chance to test that strength and I need to stop doing that. Come home this weekend and we'll talk about whatever you want. I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know."

Blaine sighed in relief, sinking back down into his seat. "Thank you, Coop. I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"It's ok, Blaine. There's nothing to be sorry about." Cooper said gently. "I'm sorry if my plan to not stress

you only stressed you out." He laughed lightly.

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"It's fine." Blaine said with a small chuckle. "You told me that first night we talked that we were in this together, Coop. That's all I want."

"And that's what you'll get. I promise." Cooper assured him. A knock on the front door grabbed Cooper's attention. "I have to go, but I'll pick you up tomorrow after Warbler rehearsal?"

"Definitely." Blaine said with a smile. "Goodnight, Coop. Love you."

"Love you too, Squirt. Goodnight." Cooper replied before hanging up. He stood up from the couch and walked over to the front door cautiously. His grandmother rarely got visitors that late and he wasn't expecting anyone. When he opened the front door, he was surprised to see his mother standing there looking down at the ground. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I left your father." Julianne replied just above a whisper.

"What happened?" Cooper asked. Julianne looked up at her oldest son slowly, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Cooper's breath hitched when he saw that she had a black eye and fat lip.

"He tore my family apart and made my sons hate me." She replied brokenly. "I couldn't stay any longer. I just couldn't."

A lump formed in Cooper's throat at her use of the word sons. It meant that she hadn't completely lost her love for Blaine. "Come in. Let's talk." He said quietly and ushered inside.

Sebastian walked into his room cautiously. He had received Thad's text message shortly after it was sent and immediately asked Thad what was wrong. Thad had replied a simple, 'We need to talk' and Sebastian had been on edge since.

"Hey, babe." Sebastian greeted. "What's going on?" he asked worriedly. "Kurt was here a little while ago." Thad said, straight to the point.

Sebastian's face fell instantly. "That's why you text me? Because you want me to talk to Kurt? Shit, babe. I thought something was wrong." He said as he rolled his eyes.

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"Something is wrong." Thad replied as Sebastian took a seat next to him on their bed. "Your best friend is going crazy because you refuse to tell him what's going on. He's worried that you don't want to be friends with him anymore."

"That's dumb. Of course I'm his friend. Why would he say that?" Sebastian asked exasperatedly.

"Maybe because you won't talk to him." Thad deadpanned. "And he didn't say that, but I know that's what he was thinking it."

Sebastian sighed and leaned back against the wall, opening his arms up so that Thad would lay on him. Thad scooted over and rested his body on Sebastian but kept his gaze firmly on his boyfriend's face. "You know that if I tell him, he's just going to blame himself. He's got enough on his plate with Blaine without having to worry about me too."

"He's already worried about you, babe, and I'm pretty sure he's already blaming himself. He's not stupid, Bas. He knows that something happened that night. It's time you man up and tell him before you do actually end up losing him." Thad replied softly.

Sebastian nodded as he brought his hand up to push a few stray hairs out of Thad's face. "Ok. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"You better." Thad said firmly before resting his head on Sebastian's chest. "What do you want to do for the rest of the night?"

"We could watch a movie?" Sebastian suggested, though he seemed uninterested.

Thad leaned back slightly to look up at Sebastian's face. "We could, or, we could do something else."

Sebastian smirked at Thad's insinuation and leaned in for a quick but heated kiss. "Something else sounds good to me."

Friday morning started off with a bang. At exactly 6:59, the entire house was abruptly awoken by the sound of One Direction's Everything About You blaring through the speakers. The boys stumbled out to the common room to find Jeff and Nick singing and dancing along with the song. It didn't long for their fellow

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Warblers to start joining in, including Blaine. Kurt leaned up against one of the walls, smiling fondly at his friends as they let loose. By the time the song came to an end, most of the Warblers had joined in and they were all laughing from the sudden surge of energy they always got from performing. The rest of the house hooted and clapped as the boys took a bow. It may have been an abrupt wake up, but it was definitely an entertaining one.

"That was great guys." Wes said as he walked over to Jeff and Nick. "You wanna fill us in on why you decided to have an impromptu performance at 7 in the morning?"

"Last night, Nick and I were talking about what songs we should do for Nationals." Jeff started.

"We already chose our songs, Jeffery." Wes replied flatly.

"Yeah and they're lame." Jeff retorted. "We're not going to win Nationals if we don't change it up." The Warblers nodded in agreement and Wes couldn't even begin to argue with them. The songs they had chosen weren't working for them at all and the council had been at a loss as to how to make things flow better. "So, we were talking last night and we figured out what was missing from our performance. Fun."

"We got through Sectionals by luck and we won Regionals by delivering an emotional message." Nick said as he stepped forward. "Let's win Nationals by having some fun."

"One Direction is huge right now. Their songs are catchy and upbeat, everybody loves them, and their harmonies are flawless." Jeff exclaimed. "Our harmonies are flawless. We could do some amazing ass shit with their songs!"

"Nationals are three weeks away. Do you really think that changing our songs right now is a smart move?" Wes questioned.

"I don't know, man." David cut in. "We are already struggling with the songs we have and we're not having fun. We aren't going to impress the judges if we're too worried about the details."

"David's right." Thad said. "We shouldn't be thinking while we perform, we should be enjoying ourselves. Changing the songs sounds like a good idea to me. We could all use a little bit of fun right about now too."

The Warblers agreed with the two councilmen and looked at Wes for the final decision. "If we do this, I expect each and every one of you to work your butts off." Wes said firmly, waving his finger at the boys.

\- 371 -

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"Why don't we take a Warbler day?" Blaine suggested. "We can work on the songs all day and have something finalized by tonight."

Wes glanced at his fellow Warblers, all of whom were wearing the same hopeful expression. With a conceding sigh, he nodded. "Alright. Let's change it up." The Warblers hooted excitedly and high fived each other. "How many of you have tests today?" Most of the seniors and several of the juniors raised their hands. "You will not be skipping your exams. Let's take a Warbler day but when your test period starts, go take the test and then come back. Understood?"

"Understood." The boys replied.

"Ok." Wes sighed. "Go get ready. I'm going to go talk to the dean." The boys quickly dissipated and Wes left for the administration office.

The Warblers spent the entire Friday working on their new routine for Nationals. They had decided on singing two One Direction songs and one The Wanted song. It became clear very quickly just how good of an idea it was to change their performance. Their energy was up, they had little to no trouble picking up the harmonies, and they were finally excited about competing. Lately, they had been worrying too much to get excited. Their performance had lacked its usual flare and many of them had been dreading going to Nationals. With the new song choices, however, their confidence had been renewed.

Blaine was exceptionally excited for the new set list. Despite the fact that he was the soloist in their original set list, he hadn't been looking forward to competing. He felt like he was working too hard to create a sense of magic that wasn't there and he had already conceded that they were going to lose. The new song choices seemed to bring him back to life though. Kurt had noticed the change in Blaine's demeanor almost instantly. There was a sparkle in Blaine's eyes that had been missing ever since his father's visit, and Kurt was overjoyed to see it back.

There was a point during the day where almost all the seniors and juniors were gone testing. Those who didn't have tests stayed in the Warbler hall and took a small break. Kurt had taken the time to think about what was going on with Sebastian. He hated how off things had been with them and he missed his friend dearly. He watched Sebastian from across the room and wondered if they would ever get past their

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newest hurdle. He wanted to be able to talk and joke around with Sebastian, but instead he was stuck staring at him.

"Dude, just go talk to him." Beatz said to Kurt, breaking his reverie. "You're like, watching him all longingly and shit. Man up and talk to him already."

"I've tried talking to him." Kurt reminded him. "He just keeps making excuses and walks off."

"Is he or is he not one of your closest friends?" Beatz questioned.

"You know he is." Kurt snapped. "Blaine, Bastian, and you are my best friends."

"Ok then, as your other best friend, I'm telling you to go talk to him. He's just as sad without you as you are without him." Beatz said seriously.

Kurt took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. I'll go try and talk to him. Again."

"Good boy." Beatz teased, patting Kurt on the head. Kurt sent him an annoyed expression before walking

over to where Sebastian was sitting.

"Hey." Kurt said quietly.

Sebastian looked up from his phone and gave Kurt a small smile. "Hey."

They stared at each other for a moment before Kurt spoke. "Can we please talk about this?" he asked desperately. "Whatever this is. I miss you."

Sebastian lowered his head and sighed. "Ok, Kurt. Let's go talk." He said as he stood up. "Hey Wes, Kurt and I are heading back to the dorms for a minute."

Wes looked at the other Warblers, all of whom were doing their own thing, and nodded. "Be back by next period."

"Will do." Sebastian replied and headed out of the Warbler hall with Kurt close behind. - 373 -

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They didn't talk all the way up to the dorms nor did they talk when they first entered Sebastian's room. Instead they stared at each other expectantly. Sebastian was sitting on his bed while Kurt sat across from him on the unused bed, both waiting for other to start. When the silence became too much, Kurt finally spoke up.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Sebastian ran his fingers through his hair and looked away from Kurt. "Before I tell you what's wrong, I need you to understand that this has nothing to do with you."

"Ok." Kurt said slowly, shifting slightly in his seat.

"I'm serious, Kurt." Sebastian said firmly. "I don't want you to feel guilty or feel sorry for me, and I don't want you to blame yourself for anything. This isn't about you, it's about me and my shit. Alright?" Kurt nodded, eager to hear more. "Talking to Karofsky put me in a bad place. I forgot what it was like seducing someone, how amazing it felt. That kind of control is addicting as shit and using my old tactics to talk to him took a toll on me."

"Why did you do it then?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Because I couldn't stand to see you so scared." Sebastian shrugged. "Other than Thad, you're the only one who gets me. I love you like a brother, Kurt. You are my brother, and my best friend. I needed to do it. I needed to help keep you safe. It's what we do." Kurt looked down at his hands sadly, immediately feeling guilty for what Sebastian was going through. "I avoided you these past few weeks because I didn't want you worry about me and I didn't want you to feel guilty. This was a choice I made. No one forced me to do it. I'm sorry for shutting you out, but I needed the time to get myself in the right head space. I was scared and confused and I just...I needed time."

"Did something happen with Karofsky?" Kurt asked worriedly. "Did he do something to you?"

"No, he didn't do anything." Sebastian assured him. "He was a broken down mess by the time I talked to him. All I did was help him see things clearer. We just have a lot more in common that I would've liked and it kinda got to me."

"You and Karofsky are nothing alike." Kurt immediately argued. - 374 -

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"But we are." Sebastian said rolling his eyes. "Seducing someone into bed is no different than forcing them. It comes with the same kind of power and satisfaction, and like I said, it's addicting as shit. I'm lucky. I have Thad and you and the other guys to keep me in check. That doesn't mean I don't struggle with it, though."

"I'm sorry, Bastian." Kurt said softly. "I never wanted you to deal with this."

"I know but I am dealing with it and it was my choice to have to deal with it. Quit blaming yourself."

Sebastian said firmly. "The Warblers take care of their own, no matter what. You know that." "I know." Kurt sighed. "I just wish everything hadn't gotten so out of hand."

"Yes well, it did, but that's over with now. It's done. Let's put this shit behind us and move on." Sebastian replied tiredly.

"Are you ok though?" Kurt questioned.

"Yes, I'm ok." Sebastian chuckled softly.

"So does that mean you're done pushing me away?" Kurt asked pointedly.

Sebastian rolled his eyes as he stood up and held his arms open so that Kurt would hug him. Kurt stood up and wrapped his arms around Sebastian's waist protectively. "I'm done pushing you away. I promise."

"Good because I missed you." Kurt said into Sebastian's chest.

"Yeah, yeah. I missed you too." Sebastian replied softly as they parted. "Are we done talking about this now? Can we move on, please?"

"Yeah, yeah." Kurt mimicked.

"Thank God." Sebastian said, sighing in relief. "I thought I was going to have to find a new best friend to tease mercilessly."

"Nope." Kurt said as they walked towards the door and out of the room. "You're stuck with me forever

now."

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"Damn." Sebastian said with a finger snap. "Just when I thought I got rid of you."

Kurt shoved Sebastian away playfully and laughed. "As if you could ever find someone as fabulous as me."

Sebastian looked over at Kurt fondly and smiled. "Naw, I'm pretty sure there's no one as fabulous as the Kurt Hummel."

"Don't tell Trent that." Kurt replied laughing. They walked back down to the Warbler hall arm in arm, both glad to have their easy going friendship back.

After a long day of rehearsing, the Warblers were ready for the weekend. Most of them were going home to see their families before Wes locked them away for three weeks. They had a lot of work to do still but they were confident that they could get it all done. Kurt was excited to be going home for the weekend. He hadn't seen his family in four weeks and he was more than ready for some quality time with his dad. The New Directions were also planning another sleepover for that Saturday night and he couldn't wait to see them. Blaine was anxious about going home. He was ready for another heart to heart with Cooper and he was determined not to let the darkness in him take control.

"I feel like we haven't spent any time together." Kurt said as they packed their belongings for the weekend. Blaine smiled sadly and nodded. "I know. Things have just been so crazy lately."

"I know." Kurt sighed as he walked over to Blaine. He wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck as Blaine wrapped his arms Kurt's waist. "I think we need to make a better effort at spending time together."

"I have an idea." Blaine said smiling. "Why don't I pick you up early on Sunday? We can go have a picnic at our tree now that the weather's nice again, and then, we could come back here and conveniently forget to tell the rest of the guys that we've returned." He said with a cheeky grin.

Kurt looked off in contemplation, a mischievous smirk playing at his lips. "I think that's a perfect idea." "Good." Blaine chuckled before leaning in to kiss him. "We better go. Our brothers are waiting."

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"Yeah, ok." Kurt said with a pout. They grabbed their things off the bed, including Kurtie and Blainey-boo, and walked out of their room hand in hand.

"There they are." Cooper commented when Kurt and Blaine walked out of the building. "Took you long enough."

"It's because they were having a goodbye make-out session." Finn teased, earning him a glare from Kurt. "What? Was I not supposed to know that?" Kurt simply rolled his eyes and shook his head in response.

"I'll see you Sunday." Kurt said to Blaine.

"See you Sunday." Blaine replied. "I love you."

"I love you too." Kurt said before giving Blaine a chaste kiss. Kurt waved goodbye to Cooper before getting into the truck with Finn and driving off.

Cooper walked over to Blaine and pulled him in for an embrace. "I missed you, Squirt." "I missed you too, Coop." Blaine replied, hugging his brother tightly.

"There's something I need to tell you before we head home." Cooper said as they parted. "What is it?" Blaine asked curiously.

"Mom came to see me last night."

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CHAPTER THIRTY

Second Chances

Blaine's jaw went slack, his eyes widening at what his brother just said. "What?" he asked, his heart suddenly racing.

"Mom came to see me last night." Cooper repeated cautiously.

"Why?" Blaine breathed out. "Wh-what did she want?"

"Why don't we get inside the car?" Cooper suggested as he walked to the driver's seat.

"What did she want, Cooper?" Blaine asked firmly, not moving from his spot.

"I'll tell you as soon as you get inside the car." Cooper replied as he opened the car door and stepped in.

With an aggravated sigh, Blaine walked over to the passenger seat and got in. Cooper inserted the key into the ignition but before he could turn the car on, Blaine pulled the keys out. "We are not going anywhere until you tell me what happened with Mom. Why did she come see you last night?" he asked in the same demanding tone their father used. It was a tone that Cooper both hated and worried about.

Cooper nodded understandingly and turned his body to face Blaine. "She came to see me last night to talk."

"About?" Blaine pressed.

"You." Cooper answered softly.

Julianne walked into her mother-in-laws home and followed Cooper into the living room. She was surprised her eldest let her in so easily. She had been prepared to beg him for forgiveness, though by the look on Cooper's face, she still might have to. She had never wanted things to get so out of hand. She had never expected her husband to take things so far. But they had and now she was at a loss about what to do. All she knew was that she wanted her family back. She wanted her sons back.

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Cooper watched his mother for a moment with growing curiosity. The faraway look in her eyes worried him, pained him. The bruises on her face were recent but he could tell that they were from a few days prior. It seemed like his father had finally jumped over the edge. The father he knew would never have struck his wife, despite being the hard ass that he was. Then again, the father he knew was long gone and had been replaced by a monster. Cooper had to remind himself that his mother had turned her back on Blaine. As much as he wanted to sympathize with her, he couldn't let his guard down just yet.

"Would you like some coffee or water?" Cooper asked her as she took a seat on the couch.

Julianne crossed her arms across her chest protectively and shook her head. "No, I'm good. Where's your

grandmother?"

"She's in her room." Cooper replied as he took a seat next to his mother. "Did you need her?"

"No, no." Julianne said quickly. "I came here to talk to you."

"Ok, then. Talk." Cooper said straight to the point.

Julianne swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath. "I need to apologize to you, for not being there for Blaine when he needed me."

"No, you need to apologize to Blaine." Cooper said pointedly. "But since he's not here, I'll take it."

Julianne hated the defensive tone in Cooper's voice but she couldn't be upset with him for it. She knew she deserved it. "You're right, I do. And I hope that one day he'll give me the chance to." Julianne's voice wavered as the tears she'd been holding the entire drive began to spill. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I regret it. When Blaine came out...I didn't stop loving him, I just didn't understand it. And then your father...I tried talking to him but he refused to listen to any sort of reason and he threatened to hurt me if I even thought about supporting Blaine and I just...I was a coward." Cooper reached for his mother's hands tentatively, staying silent as she continued. "I hid and let Blaine deal with your father's tyranny by himself and for that I am truly sorry. The more your father tormented him, the more I hid. I abandoned my child in his time of need and I'll never forgive myself for it."

"Did you know about the cutting?" Cooper asked her.

\- 379 -

"No. I didn't find out until the night you came back." Julianne said. "I didn't know how bad things had gotten for him and I know that's my fault for turning a blind eye."

"What happened with Dad?" Cooper asked softly as he gently stroked the side of his mother's cheek.

"A few days ago, I told him I wanted a divorce because of what he'd done to our family, and we got into it. It's all kind of a blur, but at one point I said that I was going to try and get Blaine back and that's when he hit me." Julianne replied shakily. "He hit me twice and then left. I didn't wait around for him. I packed a bag and went over to Peter's. I knew he would be able to protect me." Cooper smiled fondly at the mention of his uncle's name. He hadn't seen him since he'd been back because he had been so busy trying to figure out what was the best option for Blaine. "We went back to the house today right after his shift at the precinct and I served your father the divorce papers."

Cooper gave Julianne a small smile, feeling a sense of pride at the fact that she stood up for herself. "What are you going to do now?"

"Try and get my life back." Julianne shrugged. "Cooper...I am so incredibly sorry for what I've done. I know that I don't deserve another chance but...I miss him so much. I haven't seen Blaine since your grandmother took him in and I feel like a part of me has died because of it."

"So, you really don't hate Blaine?" Cooper questioned. "You still love him, even though he's gay?"

"I do." Julianne assured him. "I just didn't understand it, I still don't. But I want to. I want to understand and

I've been trying to. I just...I want my sons back."

Cooper pulled his mother in for a hug as she cried, his own set of tears falling. "We'll figure this out. I promise."

Blaine sat there speechless for a few minutes, his thoughts racing. Mom loves me? That can't be right. She's barely spoken to me in years. How can she say she loves me and wants to be a part of my life all of sudden when she basically abandoned me? Dad hitting her was the final straw but his abusing me wasn't? Did she really not know about the cutting? Was she really that blind to my pain? Or was Dad really controlling her the way she said he was? Blaine thought back to the day he found his mother drinking. He remembers that day vividly. It had been one of his worst.

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Blaine couldn't look at himself in the mirror anymore. He couldn't even remember the last time he actually looked at his reflection. The only time he did look was when he was cutting and even then, he was watching his wrists. The mornings after he cut were always the worst. He'd spend hours in front of the mirror, willing himself to look at his own face but he couldn't. He wasn't strong enough to face himself. He was too weak. That morning was no different. After the harsh words his father threw at him the night before due to a C on a school paper, he escaped to his bathroom and let his emotions bleed.

Blaine finally tore himself away from his bathroom and walked out into the hallway to find his mother drinking. It wasn't even 8 in the morning and she was practically guzzling the wine down. His mother never drank; not ever. Had life really gotten that bad that she felt the need to drink? Did his father have some kind of hold over her the way he did Blaine? Blaine watched in shock as his mother stumbled down the hall, a faraway expression on her face.

When she was just a couple of feet away, she finally noticed Blaine standing there. They locked eyes momentarily and Blaine was sure that he saw sympathy and regret behind her façade. Just as quickly as the emotion appeared, however, it was gone. She continued to stumble past him, no longer acknowledging that he was there. Even after all the years of neglect and abuse, it still tore through Blaine's heart how his mother stopped loving him.

"Blaine?" Cooper said softly, concern evident in his voice. Blaine had zoned out as his memories of that day came rushing back. He hadn't realized how bad things had gotten for his mother until that moment. That didn't mean he was ready to forgive her either. "Blaine." Cooper said again, finally breaking Blaine's reverie.

"Do you believe her?" Blaine asked thickly. "A-about everything? Do you believe that she really didn't know about the c-cutting?"

Cooper sighed deeply and nodded. "I do. I think she would've stood up to Dad long ago if she had been truly aware of how bad everything became for you. I also think she took the easy way out. She could've talked to you had she really wanted to, and I think a part of her did. But I doubt she knew how to talk to you."

"So what changed? Why is she trying to talk me to now after years of ignoring me and acting like I didn't

exist?" Blaine asked angrily.

\- 381 -

"When I went to see Dad, she overheard us fighting." Cooper said quietly. "She heard a lot of things that night that she didn't know and it made her realize the ugly truth. She told me that she searched your room and found some old razors and the pill bottle. That's when she confronted Dad."

"And that's when he hit her?" Blaine asked, his voice wavering.

"That's when he hit her." Cooper confirmed. "Mom's not perfect, Blaine. She has a lot of work to do on herself, but she does love you. She wants to get to know you, the real you, but she knows she can't force it on you either."

Blaine was quiet for a long while, letting all the information sink in. When he finally spoke, it was nothing but a whisper. "Where's Mom now?"

"She's at Uncle Peter's. She'll be staying there until she gets back on her feet." Cooper said softly. "It's like I said, she needs to work on herself. Uncle Peter is going to help her through it as much as he can."

"Does he know? About me?" Blaine asked curiously.

"He does, and he told me that it changes nothing." Cooper told him.

"Can we...can we go see her?" Blaine asked brokenly.

"Now?" Cooper asked surprised. Blaine nodded but said nothing. "If you'd like. I won't force you into seeing her. You can talk to her whenever you feel ready."

Blaine contemplated it for a moment. He knew he could take as much time as he needed to confront her, but he was having difficulty believing what Cooper had told him. He needed to see her. He needed to see if she really was willing to try for him like she said she was.

"I want to go see her." Blaine replied firmly.

"Ok. I'll give Uncle Peter a call and tell him we're on our way." Cooper replied. "Can I have my keys back now?"

"Yeah, here." Blaine said as he handed the keys back. "Sorry about that." - 382 -

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"No need to be sorry." Cooper said gently. "You sure you want to do this now?"

"I'm sure." Blaine replied. "If I don't...I might not do it at all." Cooper nodded and gave Blaine a small smile before turning the car on and driving away from Dalton.

Kurt didn't wait long to ask Finn what had been on his mind for weeks. As soon as they were on the highway, Kurt turned the radio off and gave Finn his, "you're in trouble" look. He wasn't really in trouble, but Kurt knew it would get his attention.

"What? What did I do?" Finn asked nervously.

"Any news on Karofsky?" Kurt asked straight to the point.

"Um...I d-don't know. I-I haven't heard anything." Finn replied, not chancing Kurt a glance.

"Don't lie to me, Finn." Kurt replied, pain and frustration evident in his voice. "What have you heard about Karofsky? And I want you to tell me what happened at that party too. No more secrets and no more lies."

"But..." Finn trailed off for a moment, unsure of how to continue.

"But what?" Kurt asked with sigh.

"I don't want to like, stress you out or anything." Finn replied quietly. "I mean yeah, he's gone and all, but I don't want you to worry about him. I don't want you to start having nightmares or flashbacks or anything."

Kurt sighed and looked away. He understood Finn's reasoning, but he was tired of being treated like a fragile piece of glass. He was ready to move on but he couldn't do that if everyone continued to baby him. "Pull the car over." He replied tiredly.

"What?" Finn asked bemused.

"Pull the car over." Kurt repeated. "We need to have this conversation and I don't want you to get into an accident because you weren't paying attention." - 383 -

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Finn reluctantly took the next exit and parked at the truck stop. He really didn't want to have this conversation with Kurt, but he knew there was no way out of it. Kurt had been pestering him for weeks for information and as much as he wanted to protect his step-brother, he knew he had no choice but to tell him the truth.

"What do you want to know?" Finn asked disgruntledly.

Kurt turned his body so that he was facing Finn. "For starters, you can tell me what happened at the party."

Finn sighed and turned to Kurt. "Everything went according to plan, except..."

"Except?"

"His dad came home early." Finn said, looking down at his hands. "He was supposed to find Karofsky way later, like after everyone left. But he got there early and walked in right when the video was playing. The football team was like, seconds away from beating the crap out of him too, but when his dad showed up, he booked it."

"And then he drove to Dalton." Kurt said pointedly.

"Yeah." Finn said regrettably. "I am so sorry, Kurt."

"I know you are, Finn." Kurt replied softly. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you not to do something stupid. You're lucky that no one has figured out that you guys were behind it." Finn nodded and shifted in his seat, knowing exactly how lucky the New Directions were for not getting caught. "What else do you know? What have you heard? I know McKinley is still gossiping about this."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck nervously, unsure of how Kurt would take the news. "Well, no one actually knows what happened with him and his dad when he got back from Dalton, but do you know that AV Club girl, Amanda?"

"You mean the one with the pigtails? The freshman?" Kurt asked and Finn nodded. "What about her?"

"It turns out that she's Karofsky's cousin." Finn said, Kurt's eyes widening in surprise. "She didn't say anything at first but Jacob Ben Israel kept bugging her about it and she told him that Karofsky moved out

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of state. Then, Brittany found her crying underneath the bleachers after the football team slushy bombed her and I guess Britt was really nice to her because she apologized on Karofsky's behalf for what he did to you. She told Britt that his dad put him in counseling because of it, not because he's gay. Apparently his dad is like, super supportive of him."

Kurt sat back in his seat and nodded. "Oh, well, good for him then."

"Good for him?" Finn asked bemused. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" Kurt questioned.

"Because he got away with it." Finn answered. "He should be rotting away in jail for what he did to you but instead he-"

"Instead he has a father who loves him enough to help him." Kurt cut in. "Dave Karofsky has some serious issues, Finn. I'm glad that he's in counseling and trying to get better."

"But-"

"But nothing. If there's one thing that Dalton has taught me it's that everyone has their demons." Kurt said with a half shrug. "I'm not saying I forgive him, because I don't, nor will I ever forget the kind of monster he is, but at least he and his dad have acknowledged the fact that he is one. To be honest, I feel safer knowing that he's trying to get help instead of rotting away in jail."

"How can you say that?" Finn asked, clearly upset at how well Kurt was taking the news.

"Because if he was in jail, he'd have no one to talk to, no one to help him deal with his shit. Instead, he'd be sitting there falling deeper and deeper into his own black hole, all the while blaming me for what he did. Think about it. He'd be in there for years just stewing in his anger for me and his hatred for himself. What do you think would happen years down the road when he got out?" Kurt asked him seriously.

"He'd come find you." Finn replied, finally understanding where Kurt was coming from. "I didn't think of it like that." Kurt nodded and sighed, resting his head back on the seat. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." Kurt said, waving his hand dismissively. "It's just a lot to take in." - 385 -

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"Are you sure you're ok?" Finn asked again, concern evident.

"I'm fine, Finn." Kurt replied with a small chuckle. "I promise."

"Ok." Finn nodded. "But you'd tell me if you weren't, right?"

"Yes, I'd tell you." Kurt assured him. "We better get back on the road before Dad and Carole have a fit." Finn snorted a laugh and nodded before turning the car on and pulling away from the truck stop.

By the time Cooper pulled up to Peter's house later that evening, Blaine was a nervous wreck. He spent the entire drive there going over everything Cooper had told him and he couldn't help but feel anxious. What if she changed her mind? What if she sees me and regrets coming back for me? What if she only thinks she loves me, but really, she's disgusted by me? Blaine wasn't exactly afraid to see his mother, just worried. He spent so many nights wishing that she would accept him for who he is and now that the possibility was there, he couldn't help but question it.

"You ok over there, Squirt?" Cooper asked, breaking Blaine's reverie. Blaine glanced at his surroundings quickly, noticing that they had already arrived. He nodded mutely but made no move to exit the car. "You sure? You were awfully quiet during the drive. You didn't even sing along when Katy Perry came on." Cooper joked, hoping to ease some of Blaine's tension.

Blaine rolled his eyes at the comment but gave Cooper a small smile nonetheless. "I'm ok. I just got lost in my head for a little while."

Cooper nodded and pulled the keys out of the ignition. "Why don't you take a minute to clear your thoughts and come inside when you're ready?"

"Yeah, ok." Blaine agreed, grateful for the moment alone. Cooper reached over to ruffle Blaine's hair, laughing when Blaine protested, and exited the car to give Blaine a moment.

Blaine watched Cooper walk up the driveway and into their uncle's home before pulling out his phone. He thought about calling Kurt, knowing that he would be supportive over whatever decision he made. He didn't want Kurt to worry though, so he decided against it. Instead, he went through his contacts and called Nick. Nick was the one that found him cutting at Dalton when he first arrived. Nick was the one that

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initially helped him get out of his black hole. He loved his boyfriend more than life itself, but sometimes, he just needed his best friend.

"Sup, B?" Nick answered cheerily.

Blaine took a deep breath to center himself and let the words fall from his lips. "My mom went to see Cooper last night and she told him that she loves me and misses me and now we're outside my uncle's house so that I can see her for the first time in close to three years." He said in one breath. "Oh, and apparently she left my father because he hit her when she tried talking to him about getting me back." Blaine heard Nick excuse himself from the group of boys he had been with before hearing a door open and then close. "Are you still in the Warbler hall?"

"Yeah, we were talking about Nationals." Nick replied as he made his way to the surely empty common room. "Back to what you were saying. Your mom wants to see you?"

Blaine sighed and rested his head on the seat. "Yeah. I guess she's sorry for what happened and doesn't actually hate me. She just didn't, doesn't, understand me and now she wants to try."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Nick asked cautiously.

"Yes?" Blaine replied unsurely. "I mean, it is but...I don't know. It's been so long since I've seen her, and even longer since we've spoken and I just...I don't know what to think, ya know? I don't know if she's being serious about wanting to fix things with me. What if she's wrong? What if she sees me and decides that I'm not worth the effort? What if-"

"Blaine, stop talking." Nick interrupted, his voice firm yet soft. "First of all, you are more than worth it, don't you ever forget that. Second, how can you know if she's serious or not without giving her a chance?" Blaine didn't respond but Nick knew he was mulling things over. "I'm not saying it'll be easy and I'm not saying there won't be tears or angry words, but the fact that she's the one that sought you out means something."

"So you think I should talk to her?" Blaine asked quietly, glancing towards the front door momentarily.

"I do, yeah." Nick replied truthfully. "She's your mom, Blaine. She's the woman who gave you birth. Again, working things out with her will be difficult I'm sure, but if she's willing to try, shouldn't you be too?"

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Blaine stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating Nick's words. He knew that Nick was right. He knew that if he ever wanted real answers, he would have to talk with his mother. He knew that if he ever wanted to move on from his demons, he needed closure. He knew that no matter what happened between him and his mother, talking to her was one step closer to healing. That didn't make the inevitable interaction any less worrisome.

"You're right. I-I should give her a chance, even if it'll be hard." Blaine said with a heavy sigh. "Thanks, Nick. I needed that reassurance."

"Of course, that's why I'm here." Nick said with a small smile. "And since you're so grateful and I'm such an awesome friend, you're totally going to thank me by going to the movies with me tomorrow." He said with a smirk, knowing full well what Blaine's reaction would be.

"Dude, no way!" Blaine exclaimed. "You've seen it like 100 times already!"

"I have not!" Nick argued. "I've only seen it 99 times, thank you very much." Blaine snorted a laugh and shook his head. "Come on, Blaine. No one else will go with me." Blaine could practically hear Nick pouting.

"Alright, fine. I'll go with you." Blaine replied, laughing at Nick's squeal of excitement. "Your love for Scarlett Johansson is bordering on unhealthy obsession, Nikolas."

"I can't help it. She's like...the most beautiful women on the planet." Nick replied dreamily.

Blaine rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, so you keep telling me."

"Do I need to bring up your unhealthy obsession with Gerard Butler?" Nick questioned.

"No, no. There's no need to bring him or his incredibly sexy accent into this conversation." Blaine said almost defensively, earning him a laugh from Nick. "Thanks again for talking to me, Nick. I needed that."

"Always, Blaine. Always." Nick replied smiling.

"I'm going to go. I'll talk to you later." Blaine said, his nerves much calmer than what they had been since he left Dalton.

"Later, B." Nick replied and hung up.

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Blaine sent Kurt a quick I love you text before stepping out of the car. He slowly made his way to the front door, his heartbeat increasing the closer he got. This is it. This is what I've wanted for years. I can do this. I. Can. Do. This. Blaine knocked softly on the front door before opening in and stepping in. The house was quiet, but he could hear the shuffling of feet in the nearby distance.

"Cooper?" Blaine called out tentatively.

"In here." Cooper replied from the dining room.

Blaine walked towards the dining room, his fingers subconsciously playing with the hem of his shirt. He walked into the room cautiously and stopped dead in tracks when he saw his mother. Or rather, when he saw how disheveled she looked. She was always so well put together, even during his darkest days. He hadn't expected her to look so fallen apart, so lost. It was surprisingly painful seeing the distress on her face. He had expected to feel anger the second he saw her, not sympathy.

"Hi." Blaine said just barely above a whisper.

"Hi." Julianne replied, her voice wavering. "Y-you look good."

"T-thanks." Blaine answered, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Blaine," Julianne said as she took a step forward. "I am so, so sorry for what I've done. I-I should've been there for you but I wasn't a-and I'm just so sorry."

The small amount of courage Julianne had to speak with Blaine vanished and was replaced by regret and sorrow the instant the words left her lips. Tears streamed down her face, her body shaking uncontrollably. Blaine reacted without a second thought. He swiftly walked over to his mother and embraced her. Julianne wrapped her arms around her youngest son as her tears increased.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I love you so much, Blaine. I'm so sorry." Julianne murmured into Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine could only hold her tighter in response, his own tears streaming down his face. He hadn't realized just how much he missed his mother until that moment. The familiarity of her bodies warmth, the way she smelled, the way her arms wrapped around him. It both overwhelmed and comforted him. There was still a lot to discuss and they were by no means ok, but for the moment, Blaine needed to feel the love he thought was lost.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Free At Last

It was late that Friday night when Blaine finally called Kurt. He had sent Kurt a text message shortly after the breakdown with his mother, stating that he was dealing with some family things and wouldn't be able to call him until later. Kurt had been worried at first, but didn't question it. He knew that Blaine was safe with Cooper, so instead of worrying, he occupied his time with his family. The Hudmels swapped stories of their week as they ate the delicious meal Carole had prepared before settling down in the living room to watch Thor. Once the movie was over, Carole and Burt headed off to bed while Finn and Kurt stayed up to play Call of Duty for a few hours.

It was just past midnight when Kurt finally made it to his room for the night. As he settled down for bed, he realized that Blaine had yet to call him. Not wanting to interrupt whatever Blaine was doing, he opted for a quick text.

Hey baby. I hope everything's ok with your family. Love you. xoxo – Kurt

Kurt connected his phone to the charger and set it on his bedside table before lying down. Only a few minutes passed before Blaine's ringtone rang out.

"Hey." Kurt greeted with a smile.

"Hey, babe." Blaine replied, his voice raw from crying. "Sorry for calling so late."

"No, no. It's ok." Kurt assured him, instantly worrying about his boyfriend. "Is everything alright?"

Blaine sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, his body tense from the stress of the night. "Yeah, everything's alright. We're over at my Uncle Peter's house. My mom's here."

Kurt sat up in his bed, giving Blaine his full attention. "Is that a good or bad thing?"

"Good thing actually." Blaine said, glancing behind him to see his mother and Cooper talking. He was sitting outside on the back patio and could clearly see Cooper tearing into his mother through the window. Cooper had just started talking about an incident that occurred right before he left for Egypt when Kurt had texted Blaine, and he was more than ready for a distraction. They were opening up old wounds that

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never fully healed and even though it hurt, Julianne was willing to hear her sons out. It was their first step to reconciling. "She wants to make things right with Coop and me. She even left my dad."

"Oh wow." Kurt said surprised.

"Yeah. It's been a long night and we've barely even scratched the surface." Blaine replied with a heavy sigh. A tap on the window caught his attention. He turned around to see Cooper frantically waving him in. "I have to go. Coop needs me. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright. I love you. Goodnight, Blaine." Kurt said, saddened that his phone call with Blaine was cut short.

"I love you too. Goodnight, Kurt." Blaine replied, just as sad. He ended the call, slid his phone back into his pocket, and walked back inside the house. "Sorry. I was saying goodnight to Kurt."

"Kurt?" Julianne questioned.

Blaine gave his mother a calculating look as he took a seat next to Cooper. "My boyfriend." He answered firmly, expecting her to make some sort of disapproving reaction. To his surprise, she simply sent him a small smile.

"That's nice. I'm glad you've found someone special." She replied quietly.

"Yes, yes. Kurt's special and amazing." Cooper cut in. "Back to the topic at hand. Blaine, when we went to the lake house the summer before I left, did she or did she not say that I would never make it as a writer?"

"That's not what I said." Julianne argued before Blaine had the chance to respond. "Yes you did!" Cooper nearly shouted. "Didn't she Blaine?"

Blaine glanced back and forth between his mother and brother and shrugged. "I don't know, Coop. I don't remember her actually saying that."

"Well then little brother, please tell me what she did say." Cooper challenged. - 391 -

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Blaine rolled his eyes and recounted what he remembered from that day, inevitably sending the three into another discussion entirely. Despite the stress and old wounds being reopened, Blaine was grateful for the chance to air everything out.

Kurt had no explanation as to why it happened. He had no idea why his mind had decided to deliciously torture him the way it did. It made absolutely no sense to him. After ending his call with Blaine, he laid in bed for a while thinking about Blaine's family situation. He didn't know any details but he couldn't help but worry about Mrs. Anderson's sudden appearance. He didn't want her to stress Blaine to the point of nightmares, especially since they were finally letting up. He had fallen asleep thinking about Blaine and his family, hoping that Blaine was safe.

So then why did he have such an intense dream about his boyfriend? Why had his mind created the vivid, highly unlikely scenario? He should've been scared. He should've freaked out. Instead, he had been turned on to the point of coming in his sleep. Something was seriously wrong with him.

Kurt struggled to keep himself from drowning in pleasure. Blaine's touches were precise and planned, and Kurt was having a hard time not submitting. He was control freak, always had been. But between the tie wrapped around his mouth, the blindfold, and the restraints on his wrists, he had no choice but to let Blaine have his way with him. He whined as Blaine stretched him, his entire body aching for the intrusion. He wanted to scream. He wanted to let Blaine know just how good he felt. Since the makeshift gag prevented him from speaking though, he groaned loudly and enthusiastically as his body thrashed around.

"You are so gorgeous." Kurt heard Blaine whisper. "Gorgeous and mine." Kurt nodded frantically, his everything screaming "Yes Blaine. I'm yours."

Kurt pulled at the restraints as Blaine finally entered him. He felt Blaine's body lie on top of his but Blaine didn't move his hips. Kurt whined unashamedly, wanting, needing nothing more than to have Blaine pound into him. He felt Blaine's lips press kisses up his neck as his hands moved to remove the blindfold. The instant Kurt could see, he pleaded with his eyes for Blaine to remove the tie around his mouth. As Blaine slowly pulled out, he untied the knot and removed the tie before bucking his hips forward roughly. Kurt cried out in pleasure as Blaine thoroughly fucked him. Only when he was close to the edge did Blaine finally release Kurt's wrists. Kurt muttered incoherently as he fell over the edge, his love and trust for Blaine overflowing.

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"Yours. Only yours." Kurt mumbled into Blaine's neck. Blaine wrapped Kurt in his arms and whispered "You're mine" before Kurt woke up soaked in his cum.

Once Kurt was fully conscious and aware of what he dreamt, he did freak out. He couldn't understand how his imagination produced such a fantasy, especially after everything that happened to him with Karofsky. The fact that he had been bound with no control should've sent him into a panic, not turned him on. Why it turned him on, he didn't know. But he couldn't help but feel as though there was something seriously wrong with him because of it.

He spent most of his morning occupying himself at the garage with his dad. He hoped that working on the cars would help clear the confusion he felt from the dream. It didn't though. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He needed to sort his thoughts out before he went crazy so he called the one person he knew would understand. Sebastian.

Kurt waited in his living room anxiously. He had called Sebastian as soon as he left the garage and convinced him to drive out to his house that afternoon in order to talk. Finn was gone with Rachel, his dad was still at the garage, and Carole was working the late shift, leaving the house to himself. He was grateful for the privacy. The last thing he needed was for Finn or worse, his dad, to overhear their conversation.

"This better be damn important, Hummel." Sebastian said as soon as Kurt opened the front door for him. Kurt grabbed Sebastian's shirt, pulled him inside, and locked the front door before dragging Sebastian up to his room. "I know you want me Kurt but I don't think Thad will approve of you manhandling me." Sebastian teased.

"Will you just shut up?" Kurt snapped. "I so don't need your crap right now."

"You're the one who demanded that I come over and then dragged me up here like you're going to jump

my damn bones." Sebastian retorted as they entered Kurt's room.

Kurt ignored him, practically throwing Sebastian on the bed before finally letting go. Sebastian watched in amused confusion as Kurt closed his bedroom door. His usual put together self was replaced by a frantic mess and Sebastian couldn't help but want to laugh. Kurt climbed on top of his bed, placing his pillow in his lap, and held onto it protectively before speaking.

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"I need to talk to you but you have to promise not to make fun of me." He said firmly. Sebastian turned his body to face Kurt, tucking his legs underneath him, and rested his hands on his lap to show that he was listening, an amused grin playing at his lips. "I'm serious, Bastian." Sebastian forced his features to straighten out and waited. After a few moments of silent staring, Kurt took a deep breath and told Sebastian the dream.

Sebastian tried really hard not to let Kurt's dream get to him. He tried not to imagine the details of the dream. He tried not to imagine Kurt's naked body strapped down and helpless as Blaine took control. He tried not to replace Kurt and Blaine with Thad and himself. He really did try. But he was a teenage boy, a sexually driven one, and he could only try so much before his own imagination ran wild.

"You are such a perv, Bastian." Kurt groaned as Sebastian adjusted himself.

"You cannot tell me in detail a dream like that and expect me not to have some sort of reaction." Sebastian

defended. "That was hot, Kurt. Like, really hot."

"That's not the point!" Kurt exclaimed, his face burning with embarrassment and desire. "Ok then, what is the point?" Sebastian questioned.

"Don't you think this makes me crazy?" Kurt asked him. "After everything I've been through, how could I have a dream where I'm bound and gagged and like it? There is something seriously wrong with that picture."

Sebastian gave Kurt a look before shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you just because you enjoyed the idea of Blaine binding you."

"But-"

"No buts. You're a teenage boy with a smoking hot boyfriend who you love and trust. Why in the Hell would something be wrong with you for having a wet dream?" Sebastian asked seriously.

"Because I had no control, none." Kurt quickly answered. "I was completely powerless, Bastian. After everything with Karofsky, how could I dream something like that?"

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Sebastian was quiet for a moment. Something had to have happened to Kurt within the last 24 hours to make his subconscious feel safe enough to create such a dream. "What happened yesterday after Finn picked you up from school? Did you talk about anything involving Karofsky?" Kurt furrowed his eyebrows in confusing and nodded. "Ok, what did you talk about?"

Kurt huffed in irritation and told Sebastian the latest news on Karofsky. By the time he was done retelling Finn's and his conversation, Sebastian had a pretty good idea why Kurt had his dream.

"Did it ever occur to you that the reason you had that dream is because you finally feel safe?" Sebastian asked him. Kurt quirked his eyebrow at Sebastian but said nothing. "I'm serious. Think about it. Karofsky's gone, Kurt. He's gone and the fear you once had is gone. Plus, you have an amazing boyfriend who you know will never take advantage of you. The way I see it, that dream was more than just a sexy way to get off. It was your subconscious telling you that you're ready to truly move on. I'm not saying that you need to go ride Blaine's cock right this second."

"Bastian." Kurt whined, partly from Sebastian's comment but mostly from the sudden desire to do just that, ride Blaine.

Sebastian merely smirked and continued. "What I am saying is that you're probably ready for more. The only thing that's stopping you is you."

"But what about being bound? Surely that means that I'm mentally unstable or something." Kurt tried to argue.

"All that means is that your teenage hormones finally feel free to imagine all the dirty, kinky things it was too scared to imagine before." Sebastian retorted. "This isn't a bad thing, Kurt. Quit your bitchin' and enjoy the wonders BDSM has to offer."

Kurt turned scarlet and hid his face into his pillow, earning him a laugh from Sebastian. "You are enjoying my discomfort way too much. I don't know why I tell you these things."

"Because I'm your best friend." Sebastian replied proudly. "Clearly that was a mistake in my part." Kurt deadpanned.

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"And clearly you are just as much a freak in the sheets as I am." Sebastian smirked. "Thus why we get along so well."

Kurt smacked Sebastian with the pillow, only to have Sebastian practically pounce on him. Kurt screamed and laughed as Sebastian straddled him and tickled him mercilessly. Kurt flipped Sebastian over at one point and tickled him back. They struggled for dominance of the battle for a while, finally stopping when Finn yelled out that he was home. Realizing the time, Kurt ended his visit with Sebastian in order to get ready for the New Directions sleepover. Sebastian gave Kurt a few more words of encouragement before heading back to Dalton where he planned on letting Thad tie him up to the bedpost.

Shortly after Sebastian left, the New Directions showed up ready to have their sleepover. Finn ordered the group pizza while they settled down in the living room. Their only plan for the night was to spend as much time with Kurt as possible. They still felt bad about betraying his trust and they wanted to make it up to him desperately. Kurt didn't want them to try and win his affection however. He didn't want them to suddenly start acting overly sweet. He wanted his group of oddballs and delinquents to treat him like just another friend. He wanted the teasing from Santana and Puck about his relationship with Blaine. He wanted the overbearing annoyance that came solely from speaking with Rachel. He wanted everything to be normal again.

When the pizza arrived, Kurt took the opportunity of talking to the New Directions as a whole before his father came home.

"Yo, everybody shut up! Kurt's got something to say!" Santana yelled after Kurt's third attempt to quiet the group down. "The floor is yours, Porcelain."

"Thank you, Santana." Kurt said with a smile.

Out of everyone in the group, Quinn and Santana were the ones that Kurt talked to the most those days. Quinn's relationship with Jeff had strengthened tremendously in the passing weeks and she more often than not found herself sneaking out of Dalton with Jeff's and Kurt's help. Santana found herself almost craving Kurt's company. After seeing him at his worst and watching him rebuild himself, she couldn't help but feel proud, if not a little jealous. After her own unfortunate experience as a young girl, she never felt like her true self again. She had never really healed from her past, but merely pushed it down and used her

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anger as her strength. Being around Kurt and his confidence comforted her in a way she hadn't realized she needed. No one about what happened to her, not even Brittany. Lately, however, she felt the need to share her experience. Not with her lover, but with Kurt.

"Now, I know that you guys want to make things up to me," Kurt continued. "But I don't want you to treat me any different. That means that Noah, you need to stop texting me how awesome I am a thousand times a day."

"But it's so true! You are awesome!" Puck exclaimed.

"That may be but if you keep it up, I will not hesitate to smack the shit out of you." Kurt warned. Puck

pouted but nodded. "Mike and Artie-"

"Stop facebooking you all those links on how to learn to set up a security system?" Mike cut in.

"Yes." Kurt groaned, earning a few chuckles. "As for the rest of you, stop being so damn nice. It's weird. I feel like you're all walking on eggshells around me and I gotta be honest, it's really annoying. I am fine. Honestly. In fact, I'm better than ever. Quit coddling me and acting as though I'm going to break. I'm not. I want things to get back to normal but you have guys have to start treating me like diva bitch Kurt again, not used and abused Kurt. Got it?" Everyone muttered that they understood but before they could say anything else, Kurt continued. "Also, please know that I am not mad you guys. Yes, what you did was wrong and yes, I felt betrayed, but we wouldn't be the dysfunctional family that we are if we didn't constantly betray each other. I love this group just the way it is, the good and the bad."

"Don't forget the ugly." Rachel chimed in, glaring at Santana.

"Kurt didn't forget the ugly, manhands. After all, you're here ain't you?" Santana quipped. Rachel huffed in annoyance and looked away, missing the satisfied smile on Santana's face. Kurt couldn't even be upset with them for acting that way in the middle of his little speech. If anything he smiled fondly at the exchange. That is what his friends were like and that is what he wanted them to be.

"Moving on. I have an announcement and I'm sure that none of you are going to like it." Kurt said cautiously.

"We already know you aren't coming back to McKinley this year, Kurt." Tina said sadly. - 397 -

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"You're right, I'm not coming back to McKinley, this year or the next." The room instantly erupted in protests. "I know I told you I'd think about returning for senior year, but honestly I can't. Dalton is my home. I'm safe there and I have friends who need me to stay. I love you guys, but I need to be at Dalton."

"But you won't graduate with us!" Rachel tried to argue.

"I know that Rach but I can't leave the Warblers. I can't and I won't." Kurt said firmly. "We'll always be friends, but I need to stay at Dalton." The New Directions wanted to argue some more but the combined glares of Kurt, Santana, and Quinn stopped them. "Now, my dad will be home soon and I really don't want him to comment on how much more I'm eating. Someone please pass me the pizza so that I can stuff my face in peace."

"It's true though, Kurt. Ever since you started Dalton you've been eating like me." Finn said laughing.

"I live in a house with 29 other guys who are constantly stuffing their faces." Kurt defended as he took a

big bite of pizza. "I gotta be able to keep up or they'll make me wear The Hat." He said dramatically. "The Hat?" Mercedes asked bemused.

"Mhm." Kurt nodded as he swallowed. "They have eating contests all the time and the loser is forced to wear this huge hideous hat all day. And I'm talking Rachel Berry reindeer sweater hideous."

"Hey!" Rachel exclaimed as the group laughed.

"That doesn't sound that bad, Kurt." Tina said. "So you wear an ugly hat for the day. So what?"

Quinn and Kurt exchanged looks. She knew of The Hat because she witnessed one of Jeff's rare loses. "It's not just an ugly hat, Tina. This thing was made by the devil himself. It even weighs like 100 lbs."

"How can a hat weigh 100 lbs.?" Artie asked.

Kurt and Quinn took turns explaining how truly horrendous the hat was. Kurt even had Nick send him a picture text of it just to prove his point. By the time Burt walked through the door, the New Directions had moved on from talking about the hat and were loudly arguing over which movie to watch. Burt watched in amusement as Finn and Kurt wrestled for the remote while the others shouted all around them. It was good to have his son back.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Always A Warbler

Early Sunday morning, as Blaine packed his things for school, his thoughts were consumed by the passing day's events. His mother loved him. She wanted him. She missed him. Blaine couldn't help but smile at the thought. Yes, they had a lot to work through and yes, he still felt betrayed by her. But the fact that she was willing to work things out, despite her confusion about his sexuality, meant more to him than he thought possible. He knew it wouldn't be easy. He knew that rebuilding the relationship would be difficult, but he wanted to fight for it. He wanted to fix things. He wanted his mother back, more than he cared to admit.

Cooper, Julianne, and Blaine spent all Friday night and all day Saturday talking about everything and anything. They fought and cried over issues that were never resolved, they laughed at the happy memories, and they discussed their shared hatred for Nathan. They stripped their souls bare and broke down their walls completely. Now it was time to start rebuilding their relationship from the ground up. Blaine and Cooper had to relearn to trust their mother and Julianne had to learn the world was not black and white. They had rough times ahead, but they believed that together, they could work it out.

Blaine zipped his backpack closed, hung it on his back, and walked out of his room ready to spend his Sunday with the love of his life. Between the upcoming Nationals competition and his family drama which would inevitably worsen before it got better, Blaine knew that his time with Kurt would be limited. While they were often together, they were usually too stressed or too tired to be intimate and Blaine missed his boyfriend's affections terribly.

"You leaving already, Squirt?" Cooper asked sadly when Blaine entered the kitchen. "We were hoping you'd have breakfast with us."

Blaine gave his brother, mother, and grandmother a small, apologetic smile and shook his head. "It's a long drive to Lima, Coop."

"Thus why you should have breakfast before you go." Cooper pointed out.

"I already cancelled my movie plans with Nick yesterday. I'm not cancelling on Kurt." Blaine replied, knowing that Cooper was trying to guilt him into staying.

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"But you're not cancelling. You're simply pushing them back for a little while." Cooper said with a pout, making Blaine roll his eyes.

"Let him go, Cooper." Grams said, swatting Cooper's arm fondly. "He's had a long weekend."

Cooper crossed his arms and sighed. "Fine. If you don't want to have a lovely breakfast with your family then by all means, go. It's not like I care."

"Don't be so dramatic, Coop." Blaine replied, a smirk playing at his lips.

Cooper gasped loudly and held his chest, turning away from Blaine. "I am no such thing. I'm appalled that you don't believe my sincerity."

"Yeah, sure." Blaine replied with a scoff. "I need to go. I'll see you Sunday for dinner?"

"Yes, yes. Go. We'll see you Sunday." Cooper said, waving his hand dismissively.

Blaine hugged his grandmother and brother goodbye before turning his attention to his mother. He smiled softly at her before pulling her into an embrace. "I love you, son." She whispered in his ear. Blaine hugged her a little tighter in response and kissed her cheek lightly before parting.

"Drive safe. Tell Kurt I said hi." Cooper called out as Blaine left the kitchen.

"I will." Blaine shouted back and walked out of the house, feeling happier than he had been in a long time.

Kurt was in the kitchen cooking Blaine breakfast when Santana approached him. Most of the New Directions had already gone home and Kurt was more than ready for his date with Blaine. He had woken up early, gotten ready quickly, and packed their lunch for the park before his friends were even awake. Santana knew that once Blaine arrived, she would lose her chance to talk with Kurt. She decided to talk him privately while she could.

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Kurt glanced at the clock on the microwave and continued to cook. "He should be here in a few minutes." Santana nodded mutely and leaned up against the kitchen counter, her arms wrapped across her chest. "Everything ok?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Santana shrugged, her eyes downcast.

Kurt watched her for a moment before turning the stove off and plating Blaine's food. "Tana, you know can tell me." Kurt replied gently as he walked over to her. Santana said nothing as Kurt wrapped an arm around her waist. She looked up at Kurt, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Kurt was shocked by the pure vulnerability in her eyes. "Santana?"

Santana opened her mouth to talk but stopped when Blaine's car came into view through the kitchen window. She attempted to move away from Kurt but he held her still, giving her his signature 'you aren't going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong' bitch look.

"You think we could have a sleepover soon, just you and me?" She asked him quietly just as the doorbell rang.

"Sure, but it'll have to wait until after Nationals." Kurt replied, concern evident. "Wes will kill me if I try and leave campus for more than a couple of hours." Santana gave him a small smile and nodded. "Are you sure everything's ok?"

"I'm sure." Santana assured him, straightening up when Blaine walked into the kitchen. "I'm going to go before you two make me vomit with all your adorable gay unicorns."

"We haven't even done anything remotely cute." Kurt argued as she walked away.

"The adoring look in Frodo's eyes is enough." Santana quipped, sending Blaine a wink before disappearing into the living room.

"It's nice to see you too, Santana." Blaine called out, shaking his head. "Good morning, gorgeous." He directed at Kurt, closing the space between them.

Kurt smiled and wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck. "Good morning, my handsome prince." Blaine rolled his eyes playfully but blushed lightly nonetheless. "Would you like coffee or orange juice with your

breakfast?"

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"I'll take some orange juice." Blaine replied as he leaned in. "But not before my good morning kiss." Kurt's smile widened before Blaine's lips met his in a surprisingly heated kiss. Blaine took complete control, his hands holding Kurt possessively. Kurt couldn't help but whine into the kiss. It had been entirely too long since they'd kiss that passionately.

The clearing of Burt's throat broke the boys apart, both blushing furiously. "Good morning, Blaine." Burt greeted with an amused smile.

"Good morning, Burt." Blaine smiled, taking a seat at the island while Kurt set his plate down in front of him.

"How come he gets a special breakfast and I have to eat that disgusting oatmeal?" Burt grumbled. Kurt glared at his dad and Blaine bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing.

"Your oatmeal was not disgusting, Dad. I even let you add cinnamon. Don't make me regret that decision." Kurt warned. Burt pouted dramatically and Blaine couldn't stop the laugh that escaped. Watching Burt and Kurt argue over food was always entertaining. "Don't make me take your bacon away, Anderson." Blaine immediately stopped laughing and looked down at his plate, reaching for his bacon before Kurt did indeed take it away. Burt shook his head and chuckled. They may be young, but Burt knew that Blaine was the one for his son. They reminded him of Lizzy and himself more and more each day, and he was genuinely glad that they found each other.

Once Blaine finished his breakfast, he helped Kurt pack his car with what they needed for their picnic, and headed out. Kurt watched Blaine curiously throughout the drive to the park. They had yet to talk about Julianne's return and Kurt couldn't stop from wondering if everything was ok. He had to admit that Blaine looked really happy. There was a twinkle in his eyes that had never been there before which made Kurt's worries melt away. He decided to wait until they were at the park to ask Blaine about it though, just in case something was wrong.

It was early afternoon by the time they arrived, so quickly found a picnic table and dove into the sandwiches Kurt had prepared for them. They talked about Nationals and school while they ate, both sharing how excited they were about the new song choices. While the one The Wanted song they chose

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was a solo, the two One Direction songs had been divided into five parts per Blaine's request. He didn't want to lead the Warblers to victory. He wanted them to win together as whole unit.

Once they were done eating, Kurt set up his portable speakers, attached his iPod, and chose the playlist containing all of their favorite songs while Blaine settled himself up against the tree. Kurt slipped in- between Blaine's legs and rested his head on Blaine's shoulder as Blaine wrapped his around Kurt's torso.

"Finn and I talked about Karofsky when he picked me up Friday." Kurt said after a few moments of silence. Blaine's head perked up at the mention of Kurt's tormentor, instantly worried.

"What did Finn have to say?" Blaine asked.

"Not much." Kurt shrugged. "According to what he's heard, Karofsky's dad put him in therapy because of what he did to me."

"Really? That's rather specific." Blaine commented. "Does the whole school know and that's how Finn heard or?"

"Brittany talked to Karofsky's cousin, a freshman girl, and I guess she told Britt what was going on. I don't think that the school knows what he did to me, but Finn said the football team is practically bathing her in slushies every day because of what happened at the party." Kurt said, sighing sadly.

"The lack of authority at that school is astounding." Blaine said shaking his head. "I'm so glad you aren't going back next year, even if Karofsky is gone."

Kurt turned his head to look at Blaine, a small smile gracing his lips. "Me too. I'd miss you too much if I didn't get to see you every day." Blaine kissed Kurt's forehead and tightened his hold on Kurt.

"What was going on with Santana this morning?" Blaine asked. "It seemed like I walked in on something."

"I'm not really sure what's going with her." Kurt shrugged. "She's been oddly sincere this past month. She wants to have a sleepover with just me after we get back with Nationals. I don't know what to think about that. She's always kept people at arm's length, except for Britt, but lately she's been very open with me."

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"You know, I was talking to Bastian the other night when Jeff and you snuck Santana and Quinn out of the dorms, and he...umm...he has a theory about her." Blaine said cautiously, unsure of how Kurt might take Sebastian's remarks.

Kurt turned his body slightly to look at Blaine, a serious expression on his face. "What did Bastian say?"

"He sees a lot of himself and you in her." Blaine told him hesitantly.

"What does he mean by that?" Kurt asked bemused.

Blaine bit his lip with worry, wondering if maybe bringing this up had been a mistake, but now that he started, he didn't feel that he could go back. "He thinks that she's maybe been hurt too. Like you and him."

Kurt just stared at him and then suddenly it clicked. "You mean Bastian's thinks she's been raped?" he asked wide-eyed. Blaine merely shrugged in response. "Why the hell would he say that? Does he even know Santana? She would cut a man's dick off if he even contemplated using her!"

"Yeah, now she would. But maybe something happened to her when she was little?" Blaine suggested.

Kurt thought back to the fiery Latina, unable to picture her in any kind of powerless state, and shook his

head. "No. There's no way. You guys don't know Santana like I do. There's just no way."

"I'm not saying he's right, Kurt." Blaine quickly amended, not wanting to upset his boyfriend. "I'm just telling you what he told me. I don't even think he meant to say anything."

Kurt huffed and turned away from Blaine. "I need to talk to Bastian." Blaine nodded and rested his head against Kurt's. He hadn't meant to say anything about what Sebastian told him, but after the soft moment he witnessed that morning between Kurt and Santana, he was starting to think that maybe Sebastian was right.

They stayed quiet for a short while after that, relaxing back into just enjoying the cool weather and the breeze. When Blaine started humming softly to the song that was playing, Kurt turned to look at him once more. "So, how was your weekend with your family?" he asked gently.

Blaine glanced at Kurt and smiled. "It was really nice actually. Intense but nice." Kurt raised an eyebrow, unsatisfied with the answer, and waited for Blaine to continue. Blaine sighed and leaned his head against

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the tree. "My mom wants to make things better with Cooper and me. We were up all night Friday just talking about every possible issue we never resolved, and then she and I spent all day Saturday talking about why things happened the way they did after Cooper left. We yelled some and we cried a lot but it was nice getting everything out in the open, ya know? It was very freeing. We're going to start having weekly dinners together and she's even started going to PFLAG meetings. She's been talking to a counselor about me and what she put me through. She really wants to try and fix this, and I'm going to try with her."

"I'm really glad to hear that." Kurt replied, relieved that nothing went wrong. "What happens now with your dad?"

"Well, she's filed for divorce but she knows that he is going to make things difficult for her. Cooper and his P.I. friend are going to investigate him and see what they could find as blackmail." Blaine said with a devious smile. He couldn't wait until all of his father's skeletons were out of the closet.

"Blackmail?" Kurt questioned.

"Mhm." Blaine nodded. "Depending on what they find, Dad could be more inclined to settle the divorce more fairly. Knowing my father, he'll make every attempt to be sure that Mom doesn't see a single penny of his money. Cooper doesn't want that to happen. She's been through enough."

"What about you and your dad? What's the plan there?" Kurt asked.

"Cooper wants to wait until after finals to confront him and we're going to do it together, the three of us. His lawyer Debra told him that the best option would be for me to get an Order of Protection from the court. That way, he has to legally stay away from me but he doesn't get out of his responsibilities for paying child support and for my education. I really could care less about the money but Cooper insists that it was the smartest choice." Blaine said with a heavy sigh.

"And until then?" Kurt asked, worried that Blaine's father would try and get to Blaine before everything was settled.

"Until then, I take it one day at a time." Blaine shrugged. "I'm not going to let him control me, Kurt. I'm not

going to let him win."

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Kurt nodded and settled back into Blaine's arms. "I just don't want something to happen before you're ready to confront him."

"I know. Me neither." Blaine replied. He shifted slightly behind Kurt and hugged him closer. "I don't want to talk about him anymore. I just want to sit here and enjoy the beautiful day with my wonderful, loving boyfriend." Blaine kissed the crook of Kurt's neck, making him giggle, and started humming along with the music once more.

An hour passed before both boys decided to head back to Dalton. They still had a bit of a drive ahead of them and they wanted as much alone time as they could get before their friends inevitably tore them away from their room. The first half of the drive was filled with laughter and music as they sang along to the radio, but the closer they got to Dalton, the more excited they became. Kurt kept sending Blaine seductive glances and Blaine sent shy ones in return. Despite everything that Kurt had experienced, he didn't shy away from being intimate with Blaine.

Being friends with Sebastian boosted his sexual confidence as well. Sebastian had no shame in telling Kurt, in detail, the sexual adventures between Thad and him, leaving out only the most intimate details. Kurt, of course, would act like a blushing virgin throughout their conversations, but he soaked up the information like a sponge, wanting to learn as much as he could. One of the conversations they had involved Sebastian telling him all the wonders of shower sex, and Kurt planned on making his own shower sex memories when they got back to Dalton.

Blaine knew that he was in for one hell of an afternoon as soon as he parked his car. Before he even turned off the engine, Kurt grabbed him by the collar and smashed their mouths together. Blaine moaned in surprise, but soon melted into the kiss. He loved it when Kurt took control and he couldn't wait to see what his boyfriend had in store for him.

"I'll wait for you in the shower." Kurt murmured against Blaine's lips before grabbing his things and quickly exiting the car. Blaine watched him walk into the school in a daze, his pants suddenly tightening at the realization of what Kurt said. He laughed nervously as he turned the car off, grabbed his things, and hurried in after Kurt.

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When Blaine walked into their room, he could hear the shower running mixed with Kurt's singing. He stuck his head out of the room, checking the hallways to make sure that no one was around before closing and locking the door. He took his time getting undressed, unable to stop the sudden shyness he felt. They had never showered together and he had been wondering for a while now when they would share the experience. With a deep breath, Blaine removed his boxers and walked into the bathroom.

Kurt was just as nervous as Blaine. The shower may have been his idea, but he was still a little self- conscious about it. He wanted them both to have an enjoyable experience and hoped that he would be able to pull it off. When he heard the bathroom door open and then close, he let his fears slip away and concentrated on his current objective.

"Hello, Blaine." Kurt said, using his lower register, knowing that it drove Blaine crazy. Kurt felt a small draft from the shower door being opened, followed by a quiet, sharp intake of breath. He turned around to face Blaine, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips when he saw Blaine's eyes roaming his body.

"I swear sometimes I forget how gorgeous you are." Blaine breathed out, his eyes landing on Kurt's.

Kurt closed the space between them, his lower lip caught in-between his teeth. He let his eyes roam down Blaine's body, his arousal increasing at the sight of his boyfriend's length. If anyone was gorgeous, it was the breathtaking boy in front of him. "Turn around." Kurt commanded, surprising even himself by the tone of his voice.

Blaine all but whimpered as he turned around. Kurt trailed his fingers down Blaine's back, making Blaine shiver. He leaned forward, placed his hands on Blaine's hips, and started kissing the back of Blaine's neck lightly. Blaine closed his eyes, resting his head back on Kurt's shoulder, and slowly stroked himself. Kurt stopped kissing Blaine's neck and watched his movements, transfixed for a moment. Watching Blaine touch himself was at the top of his, 'things I'll never get over' list and he never wanted to get over it. Remembering the task at hand, Kurt alternated between kissing and sucking Blaine's back as his hand reached around Blaine's torso.

Kurt slowly made his way down, removing Blaine's hand and taking Blaine's erection firmly in his hands. "You're so beautiful." He murmured against Blaine's skin.

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"Kurt." Blaine moaned softly.

Kurt stroked Blaine slowly until he was kneeling on the bathtub tiles. "You might want to hold yourself up, baby." Kurt told him.

Without further warning, Kurt licked down Blaine's crack, smiling to himself when he heard Blaine's mumbled response. Kurt had originally found the idea of rimming unappealing, but after one of his talks with Sebastian, he couldn't help but wonder what it was like. As he slid his tongue inside Blaine, he was rewarded with the most delicious sounds of want. If those were the noises Blaine would make from being rimmed, then he would need to do it way more often. Blaine tried his best not to be too loud. He tried his best to keep composure. But the deeper Kurt's tongue went, the less coherent he became. He knew Kurt was up to something mischievous from the glances he received in the car, but he certainly hadn't expected this.

"You know, I had a dream about us the other night." Kurt said as he slowly stood up, kissing Blaine's back in the process.

"Oh?" Blaine questioned, his hands still holding himself up, his breathing labored.

"Mhm." Kurt nodded as he slid two fingers inside Blaine to finish stretching him. Blaine threw his head back, moaning loudly. "Would you like me to tell you about it?" Blaine nodded, unable to speak. "I'm tied up, blindfolded, gagged, and you..." Kurt trailed off as he added a third finger.

"And I what?" Blaine asked in-between his moans.

Kurt angled his fingers to brush against that spot, earning him a guttural moan from Blaine, before removing his fingers entirely. Blaine whined at the loss but then moaned once more when Kurt began to stroke him slowly. He pressed his chest against Blaine's back, slotting his throbbing erection in Blaine's crack, and spoke directly in his ear. "You took complete control and fucked me so hard that I came in my sleep."

"Kurt." Blaine groaned.

"I want that, Blaine. I want you to take me and control me. Will you do that for me? Will you tie me up,

blindfold me, gag me, and take me?" Kurt asked as he sped up his strokes. - 408 -

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"Yes! God, yes!" Blaine replied, already close to edge.

"Good, because I really want you to." Kurt said, removing his hand from Blaine's length. "One day soon, I'll let you. But for now," Kurt turned Blaine around, practically slamming him against the shower wall. "for now, I want to fuck you against this wall." Blaine nodded fervently, needing to release.

Kurt kissed him hard, his hands trailing down Blaine's thighs, and gripping them roughly. Realizing what Kurt was doing, Blaine stood on his toes and allowed Kurt to lift him. It took them a moment to adjust to the position, but soon Blaine's legs were wrapped around Kurt's torso, his arms wrapped around Kurt's neck and holding him tightly. Kurt maneuvered them carefully, slowly entering Blaine. Once he was fully inside, he pulled back and thrust in. Blaine all but screamed at the sheer pleasure of it all. If anyone was in the halls, they were sure to hear his cries. Kurt thrust in and out slowly, not wanting to hurt Blaine from their position and enjoying their closeness. Nothing else in the world mattered but Blaine and their love.

"So close. So close." Blaine moaned into Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt sped his movements up slightly, making sure to hit that spot. A few more thrusts later, Blaine mewled as his seed spilled over. Kurt came a few seconds after with Blaine's name falling from his lips. They stayed as one, wrapped in one another's embrace until their senses returned to them. As Kurt pulled out, Blaine unwrapped his legs from Kurt's torso. As soon as his legs found their balance, he leaned up against the wall, his eyes closed, and laughed softly.

"That was...wow." Blaine breathed out.

Kurt let out his own laugh and nodded. "It was."

Blaine opened his eyes and looked at Kurt with pure love and adoration. "I love you so much, Kurt. More than anyone in the entire world."

Despite what they just did, Kurt couldn't help but blush at the comment. "How do you manage to constantly make me swoon?"

Blaine grinned widely and pulled Kurt's body so they were flush together. "It's the dapper Mr. Anderson

effect."

Kurt giggled and shook his head. "I love you."

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They kissed for a short while before washing each other's body and getting out of the shower. They both redressed in Dalton sweats and walked over to the common room where David, Sebastian, Thad, and Nick were hanging out. As soon as Sebastian saw them, he stood up from where he was sitting and started clapping.

"Here they come. Dalton's very own shower porn stars." Sebastian teased, earning him a laugh from the others. Blaine looked away bashfully and Kurt glared at him.

"Right, this coming from the guy who has had sex in like, every corner of the school." Kurt scoffed as he and Blaine took a seat on the loveseat.

"That's right and damn proud." Sebastian quipped, sending Thad a wink who was now blushing.

"You know, if I didn't love you so much, I'd be appalled by your behavior." Nick teased Blaine, making his blush deepen.

"So Kurt, does Blaine blush this much when you're screwing or is it just after?" David then asked with a giggle.

"You two are just jealous." Kurt retorted, his own blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Are not." David scoffed.

"Don't worry, David. I'm sure if you ask Wes nicely, he'll let you take a shower with him." Sebastian said with a smirk. David glared at him and crossed his arms, annoyed at the fact that no one ever believed his relationship with Wes was platonic. So what if they tended to fall asleep together whenever they watched a movie? Wes was his best friend after all. There was nothing wrong with movie time cuddles with the person you trusted wholeheartedly. He would miss his best friend dearly when he moved away for college.

Kurt and Blaine spent the rest of the evening wrapped up on the couch and talking with their fellow Warblers as they ushered in from their weekend at home. They joked and teased one another, they talked about Nationals, and they planned out study groups for their upcoming exams. Kurt smiled at his friends fondly as Beatz chased David around the common room with a spider he caught in a cup. Choosing to stay

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at Dalton for his senior year was the best choice he made. He could never leave his Warbler brothers behind. Once a Warbler, always a Warbler.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Nationals!

The following three weeks were nothing short of intense for the Warblers. Between Nationals, finals, and graduation looming, they were up to their necks in work. If they weren't studying for exams, they were rehearsing for Nationals. The schedule Wes had created gave them little time to relax but they didn't complain. Their determination to become National Champions drove them to work harder than they ever had, and Wes was incredibly proud of them. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but the energy and passion the boys delivered throughout their performance was enough to convince him that they may actually win the competition.

Blaine completely immersed himself in the music. After his emotional weekend home, he had a renewed sense of faith which carried over into his performance. He was singing with more passion, he was smiling more enthusiastically, and for the first time in years, he was genuinely happy. Between his ever growing love for Kurt and the return of his family, Blaine was overjoyed. He refused to be the victim anymore. He refused to let his father's hatred control him and he refused to fall into the darkness again. Kurt couldn't be prouder of his boyfriend. His initial worry of Mrs. Anderson's return dissipated that first week when he saw just how happy Blaine truly was. Things were finally looking up and they hoped nothing derailed them again.

Cooper was on edge the entire three weeks before Nationals. The P.I. he had hired was having difficulties finding dirt on Nathan, and Cooper hated how quiet his father had been recently. He had expected his father to try and get ahold of his mother but not even a single call was received. He worried that his father was up to something and he was determined to find out what it was. The one good thing that came from Nathan's unusual silence was that it gave Julianne more time to get her affairs in order. Nathan had yet to file the divorce papers and she knew that it was because he was waiting for her to return. She knew that he believed she would be lost without him so he saw no point in signing the papers.

Despite Cooper's worries, Julianne was grateful for her husband's current absence. It gave her the opportunity to figure out what she wanted to do. More importantly, it gave her the chance to get to know her sons again. Cooper and Blaine meant everything to her and she would do anything to keep them in her life.

"Mom, are you ready to go?" Cooper asked from Julianne's bedroom doorway. It was the day before Nationals and they were both flying up to New York with the Warblers as chaperones.

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"Yes, I'm ready." She answered quietly, though she made no movement towards the door.

"Are you ok?" Cooper asked with concern. Julianne gave him a small smile and nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Julianne lied.

Cooper walked across the room, his head tilted to the side in curiosity. "What's wrong, Mom? And don't tell me it's nothing because I know you're lying."

Julianne hesitated for a moment before sighing and looking away from her eldest son. "Are you sure Blaine wants me to go to his competition?"

"Of course. He did ask you to come along." Cooper pointed out.

"I know. I just...what if he only asked because he felt sorry for me or something?" Julianne questioned.

"He didn't. He asked you because he wants you to go. He wants you there to support him." Cooper replied softly. "What's this really about? I thought you were excited to go."

"I am." Julianne assured him. "It's just...Kurt's going to be there."

Cooper narrowed his eyes and stiffened instantly at the mention of Kurt. "Yeah, and?"

"What if he doesn't like me? What if he doesn't believe that I'm really there to support Blaine? I know it's silly of me to worry about what a teenage boy thinks but...he's a big part of Blaine's life. He means everything to Blaine and I don't want to mess anything up." Julianne admitted sadly.

Cooper's face softened, a comforting smile playing at his lips. "I won't say that Kurt won't have some reservations at first because he probably will. But you mean a lot to Blaine Mom, much more than you know, and Kurt will want to get along with you. If anything, he's freaking out right now because he's worried that you won't like him."

"Of course I like him. How could I not? Have you seen the way your brother's face lights up whenever he talks about Kurt? I could never dislike the person who brings forth such joy in my son." Julianne replied

softly.

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"Then stop worrying about it. Just be yourself and stop overthinking everything. It's going to be fine." Cooper assured her. Julianne sighed and nodded. She couldn't let her worries control her. She needed to be strong for her son and meeting the boy who stole Blaine's heart was the next big step in their relationship. "Now, we need to head out before we're late. I don't want to feel the wrath of Wes." Julianne laughed lightly as Cooper grabbed her suitcase. "You think I'm kidding but I'm totally not. That kid can get scary." Julianne simply shook her head and followed her son out, anxious for the weekend to begin.

Burt leaned up against the wall in the Warbler rehearsal hall as the boys scrambled about, his thoughts recalling the day he first walked into Dalton. He remembered how worried he had been about Kurt and how much he prayed that Dalton would be his salvation. He could still clearly see the lost broken boy his son had become and it pained him to think of the torture Kurt had been put through. He knew that Kurt lied about what really happened at McKinley. He knew that something truly horrific had to have occurred for his strong-willed son to take such drastic measures. But he had yet to confront Kurt about it. He didn't want to bring forth any stress on his son, especially now that he was doing so well. Once school was over, however, they were going to have an adult talk whether Kurt wanted to have it or not.

"Burt." The sound of Cooper's voice broke his reverie. Burt straightened himself out and walked over to his future-in-laws direction. He had to control the laugh that wanted to escape. He could see Kurt scolding him for such a thought but he was certain that it was an inevitable future.

"Hey there, Cooper. It's good to see you." Burt greeted, shaking Cooper's hand before turning his attention to Julianne. "Mrs. Anderson I presume?"

"I am. Please call me Julianne." She replied with a smile. "Cooper tells me you're Kurt's father?"

"That I am and damn proud." Burt said with a laugh. "I'm proud of that boy of yours too. He's been real good to my son."

"Well from what I heard, Kurt's been just as good to Blaine." Julianne replied as Blaine and Kurt entered the hall, Blaine's arm wrapped around Kurt's torso and Kurt's arm draped over his shoulders.

"There they are." Cooper pointed out. "Are they ever not together?" - 414 -

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Burt snorted a laugh and shook his head. "I'm pretty sure they share the same brain at this point. That's too bad for them because next year they will not be sharing a dorm room."

"And you get to be the cool dad that tells them that." Cooper laughed.

"You just don't want to lose your 'Awesome Big Brother' title." Julianne teased. "Damn right." Cooper said with a scoff.

Just then, Blaine turned his head in their direction, smiling broadly when he saw them. "Kurt, your dad's talking with Cooper and my mom." He said excitedly. Seeing them together, knowing they were there to support them, fueled his desire to win.

Kurt turned his attention over to his dad just as he laughed at something Cooper said. "Your mom is very beautiful." He replied quietly. He was extremely nervous about meeting Blaine's mother but seeing his father interact with her eased his worries a bit.

"Yeah, she really is. I'm so glad she's here." Blaine said, his face lighting up brighter than a Christmas tree.

Kurt smiled back lovingly, gently squeezing Blaine's hand. "Me too."

Within the next five minutes, the rest of the Warblers and the other chaperones arrived, just in time for Wes' pep-talk. Wes was oddly calm while the rest of the boys talked excitedly amongst themselves. He was sure it was because of how confidant he felt. David however, knew that it was merely the calm before the storm. He was certain that as soon Wes woke up tomorrow, he'd be running around and panicking over the slightest things.

"Attention Warblers." Wes called out from the center of the room. Every Warbler stopped what they were doing and gave Wes their full attention. "We have a few things to discuss before we head out. First and foremost, you will behave like gentleman this weekend. No running off, no sneaking out, and absolutely no drinking. I don't care what the other choirs are doing. We are Dalton men and we will not tarnish our reputation because the cute show choir girl down the hall invited you over for a good time." He said sternly, his eyes landing on the Warbler boys who often broke the rules for a girl.

"We will go to bed early tonight and we will wake up by sunrise to have one final rehearsal before heading out. We're one of the first groups to perform and I expect each one of you be completely prepared. Mrs.

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Orion and Mr. Williams, you will be in charge of the freshman and sophomore boys. Mr. Hummel, Mrs. Anderson, and Cooper, you will be in charge of the juniors and seniors. It is just as important for you to follow my schedule as it is for the boys. We may need you to do something at any given time, so please try and keep up with us. Now, as far as the hotel rooms go, your assigned room is your assigned room. There will be no switching so suck it up."

As Wes handed out the room assignments, Julianne grabbed Cooper's arm, brought him closer, and whispered in his ear. "Why is it that he's the one stating the rules and not the dean?" she asked, glancing over towards Ms. Morrison who was silently watching in the background.

"Dalton's different, Mom. They teach the boys how to govern themselves and they trust them enough to let them. Wes is the head of the council. His word is law." Cooper replied with a small laugh. Julianne nodded but said nothing, turning her attention back on Wes.

"There's one final thing I need to say and then we can head out." Wes told the group after handing out the room assignments. "I have never been prouder of you guys than I am right now. These last three weeks have been grueling and not once did any of you complain, not once did any of you go against the set schedule. You've all worked incredibly hard and you should proud of yourselves for it. This is the last year for some of us so let's end it with a bang. When we perform tomorrow, give it your best and leave your heart on the stage. It does not matter if we win or lose. We are brothers, we are one, and nothing is going to change that."

The Warblers glanced at each other, all wearing the same proud smile. "Let me get an, OH YEAH!" Blaine called out.

"OH YEAH!" The Warblers called back.

Wes beamed at his fellow Warblers. Nothing could ever compare to the pride and devotion he felt towards them. He would miss their camaraderie greatly once he graduated. "Alright. The buses should be loaded. Let's move out."

The Warblers quickly dispersed, their excitement for competition making them giddy. As the boys exited the hall, Blaine ushered Kurt over to where their family was standing. He was dying for Kurt to meet his mother. He knew that it would most likely be awkward at first and he wanted them both to enjoy the trip, not worry over what the other was thinking.

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"That was some speech there. He's not practicing for his presidential speeches already is he?" Cooper said laughing as soon as Blaine and Kurt were in earshot.

"Naw. President's don't use gavels nearly enough for Wes' liking." Blaine joked as he glanced over at Wes and David. Wes was trying to take his gavel with him and David was desperately trying to pry it out of his hands. "I'm sure he'll be a Supreme Court judge one day though."

"Yeah, if he doesn't give himself an aneurysm first." Kurt snorted as he gave his father a greeting hug.

"Definitely." Blaine laughed as he turned his attention towards his mother. "Mom, this is my boyfriend Kurt. Kurt, this is my mom."

Kurt turned his attention over to Mrs. Anderson, a shy smile playing at his lips. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Anderson."

"It's nice to finally meet you too, Kurt. Blaine never shuts up about you." Julianne replied, smirking at the way Blaine whined in embarrassment.

"All good things I hope." Kurt said, glancing over at Blaine who was blushing.

"Always my dear." Blaine replied before leaning over and kissing Kurt's cheek lightly. All three adults smiled sweetly at the two boys, unable to contain themselves. There was something magical about their relationship and there really was no denying how deep their love went. "Let's get out to the buses before Wes has a fit."

"Yes, let's." Cooper said, swiftly squeezing in between the boys, draping his arms over both their shoulders, and ushering them out of the building with Burt and Julianne close behind.

The bus ride to the airport and the plane ride to New York was loud, obnoxiously so. Once they were officially on their way, the boys could no longer contain their excitement. On the freshman and sophomore bus, the chaperones struggled to keep the boys quiet and eventually gave up, knowing that they were too anxious to calm down. On the junior and senior bus, however, Cooper was the one initiating the crazy. When Wes pulled him aside about it, he simply stated that it was better for the boys for get it out of there

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systems before arriving at New York. Wes disgruntledly agreed and soon enough, he was laughing along with his friends.

While Cooper and even Burt joined in with the boys, Julianne watched her son. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him smile that much. She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard him laugh. She watched Blaine as he conversed with his friends and with Kurt, noticing the utter devotion in his eyes. She knew that Blaine was in love with Kurt but actually seeing them interact was a little mind boggling. In a lot of ways, she still saw Blaine as her little boy. Seeing him as someone's boyfriend made her realize that he was no longer a little boy but practically a grown man. She hated herself for missing all those years of his youth but she was determined to make up for lost time.

As soon as the plane landed, Wes was back to barking orders and organizing the boys. He meant what he said about the boys going to bed early. After they checked into the hotel and ate dinner, they had a quick rehearsal before Wes demanded they go to their rooms for the night. It was still relatively early and several other choirs that were staying in the same hotel were still running around, but Wes was adamant that they stick to their plan.

At the crack of dawn, the council members and the chaperones woke the Warblers up with breakfast and coffee. Once they ate, they all quickly got dressed in their Dalton sweats and met in the rehearsal space the hotel provided for them. They practiced for the next few hours, their passion and determination to win perfecting their performance. Never had the Dalton boys felt as confidant as they did the moment Sebastian sang out the last note of their final practice run.

"That was amazing!" Wes exclaimed. "Absolutely amazing! Do that again on stage and we'll totally win this thing!"

"How much coffee have you had this morning, Wesley?" David teased, making the others laugh.

"Not much." Wes said dismissively. "Only like...seven cups or so. I'm fine. Totally fine. No need to worry." The Warblers broke out into giggles. Hyper Wes was always entertaining. "We have an hour left before we need to go so take fast showers. We'll meet in exactly 58 minutes. Do not be late. You're dismissed." He said in one short breath. The Warblers dispersed and excitedly headed to their rooms to get ready. They

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felt really good about their performance. Even if they didn't win, they were confident that the crowd would thoroughly enjoy their performance and that was good enough for them.

The first four acts that performed were good but they weren't great. While the audience members were enthusiastic, the judges were not impressed. The fifth act was Vocal Adrenaline and they blew the crowd away with their precision. At one point during their performance, Wes couldn't help but comment on how stiff they were. Yes, they sang amazingly and yes, their dance moves were flawless, but they seemed too robotic for Wes' taste. He was certain that the Warblers combination of precision and passion would set them apart. He was sure that the genuine smiles the Warblers would send to the audience would outshine Vocal Adrenaline's practiced expressions by a long shot.

There was small intermission after Vocal Adrenaline performed which gave the next five acts time to get ready. As the Warblers made their way backstage, Julianne pulled Blaine aside for a quick moment.

"How are you feeling?" she asked curiously.

"I feel good, real good." Blaine said confidently. "Vocal Adrenaline is our biggest competition and we are so going to be better than them!"

Julianne chuckled softly and shook her head. "You always were competitive. I still remember the days you and Cooper had me judge your sing-offs. Or rather, your Duran Duran-offs." She joked. "I know you need to get backstage but I wanted you know how incredibly proud I am of you. You've grown so much Blaine, and whether you win this or not, I'll always be proud of you."

Blaine smiled broadly and embraced his mother. "Thank you, Mom. It means so much to me that you're here. I love you so much."

Julianne squeezed Blaine tightly, a few tears running down her cheeks. It was the first time that Blaine had told her he loved her since she returned into his life and she was overwhelmed by how those three words made her feel. "I love you too, son." She replied softly as they parted. "Now go kick some Vocal Adrenaline ass." Blaine laughed as he wiped his own stray tear away. He kissed her on the cheek and ran backstage, more than ready to prove to the judges just why they deserved to win.

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"Ladies and Gentleman from Westerville, Ohio, the Dalton Academy Warblers!"

Burt, Cooper, and Julianne cheered louder than anyone else in the stadium when they announcer called the boys out. The chaperones hadn't been allowed to see any of their rehearsals and they were all excited to see them perform. The curtains drew back revealing Blaine, Jeff, Nick, David, and Wes standing in a line, the rest of the Warblers in formation behind them. Squeals could be heard from girls throughout the audience members when they recognized the song. Several of the Warblers smirked at the reaction. They knew choosing One Direction was the smart choice.

David:

Lately I found myself thinking

Been dreaming about you a lot

And up in my head I'm your boyfriend But that's one thing you've already got

Jeff:

He drives to school every morning While I walk alone in the rain He'd kill me without any warning If he took a look in my brain

Blaine:

Would he say he's in L-O-V-E?

Well if it was me then I would (I would) Would he hold you when you're feeling low Baby you should know that I would (I would)

Warbler:

Would he say he's in L-O-V-E?

Well if it was me then I would (I would) Would he hold you when you're feeling low Baby you should know that I would (I would)

Julianne watched in awe as the boys performed. She had heard Wes say something about the other performances lacking the magic they created but she hadn't understood what he meant until that moment.

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It wasn't their perfected harmonies or their fun dance moves. It was them. They performed with such ease that no one would guess how much work actually went into it. They were comfortable on stage and they were completely in sync with one another. She could tell that they were truly having fun and that was where the magic lay.

Wes:

Back in my head we were kissing

I thought things were going alright With a sign on my back saying kick me Reality ruined my life

Nick:

Feels like I'm constantly playing

A game that I'm destined to lose

Cause I can't compete with your boyfriend He's got 27 tattoos

Blaine:

Would he say he's in L-O-V-E?

Well if it was me then I would (I would) Would he hold you when you're feeling low Baby you should know that I would (I would)

Warbler:

Would he say he's in L-O-V-E?

Well if it was me then I would (I would) Would he hold you when you're feeling low Baby you should know that I would (I would)

The Warblers repeated the chorus two more times before their beats and harmonies transitioned over to the next song flawlessly. Cooper had glanced behind him to look at the judges, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips when he noticed their impressed expressions. The Warblers had this in the bag.

Blaine:

Oh, I just wanna take you any way that you like

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We could go out any day, any night Baby I'll take you there, take you there Baby I'll take you there, yeah

Jeff:

Oh, tell me tell me tell me how to turn your love on You can get, get anything that you want

Baby just shout it out, shout it out

Baby just shout it out, yeah

David:

And if you, you want me to Let's make a move

Nick:

Yeah, so tell me girl if every time we

Warblers:

To-o-uch

You get this kind of, ru-u-ush

Baby say yeah, yeah

If you don't wanna, take it slow And you just wanna, take me home Baby say yeah, yeah

Blaine:

And let me kiss you

The crowd went wild as they swooned over the Warblers. All the One Direction fans in the audience sang along with them and several people were recording their performance. It was clear as day just how much fun the boys were having and their energy was electric. Even those who weren't fans of the boy band had difficulties not falling into the Warblers grasp. Their joy was so infectious that the judges forgot to take notes and simply enjoyed the performance.

Blaine:

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Oh baby, baby don't you know you got what I need Looking so good from your head to your feet Come on come over here, over here

Come on come over here, yeah

Wes:

Oh, I just wanna show you off to all of my friends Making them drool down their chinny-chin-chins Baby be mine tonight, mine tonight

Baby be mine tonight, yeah

David:

And if you, you want me to Let's make a move

Nick:

Yeah, so tell me girl if every time we

Warblers:

To-o-uch

You get this kind of, ru-u-ush

Baby say yeah, yeah

If you don't wanna, take it slow And you just wanna, take me home Baby say yeah, yeah

Blaine:

And let me kiss you

The Warblers once again began to slowly transition over into their last song until they were all back in formation, leaving Sebastian front and center. They oohed behind him as he started singing Glad You Came. Most of the Warblers had wanted Blaine to sing the solo but he had offered it to Sebastian, knowing that he would knock it out of park, and that was exactly what he did. They ended their performance strong and received a rousing applause from the audience. There was still an entire day of performances left but many doubted that any of them would top the Warblers.

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None of the other show choirs were able to outshine the Warblers, though they certainly tried, and none were surprised when they won. Expect maybe the Warblers themselves. After they performed and sat to watch the rest of the competition, their nerves got the better of them and they began doubting their performance. They had been on edge the rest of the day, a few of them even throwing up from the sudden tension. When the results were posted and they saw that they were in the top three, they just about lost their shit. Hearing the announcer name them the winners instead of Vocal Adrenaline was the best feeling in the world. All their hard work and grueling hours had paid off. All that was left to do was celebrate.

"Warblers, Warblers! Settle down!" Blaine yelled over the shouting boys. They were jammed together in one of the hotel rooms celebrating their win with a pizza party.

"Yo! Everybody shut up!" David shouted in his councilman voice, successfully quieting the group down. "The floor is yours, Blaine."

"Thank you, David." Blaine said with a nod before turning his attention to the group. "I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm so incredibly lucky to have each and every one of you in my life. You all know that this hasn't been the best year for me and thanks to you, I've found my way. Today is a day that will go down in Dalton history. This is the first National's competition the Warblers have won in more than a decade and I couldn't be prouder to have been a part of it. As Wes reminded us earlier, several of you are graduating and while we'll miss you guys, we're also glad that you're moving forward with your lives."

"You just want my councilman seat!" Thad yelled out, making the group laugh.

"Speaking of councilmen seats, remember the election is next week." Wes directed at the underclassman.

"Anyway," Blaine cut back in. "Seniors, we'll miss you when you're gone. Juniors, next year is our year. Let's keep the Dalton pride alive and go for two straight National championships!" The juniors hooted in agreement. "For now, let's eat! OH YEAH!"

"OH YEAH!"

Blaine made his way from the middle of the room and back over to Kurt, who was talking with Sebastian. Without warning, Blaine grabbed Kurt's arm, pulled him into his body, and slammed their lips together.

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"Keep it PG guys." Sebastian teased, though neither made a move separate. After a few minutes, they finally parted, both laughing from the exhilaration.

"I love you." Kurt breathed out, his arms securely wrapped around Blaine's neck.

"I love you." Blaine replied before kissing Kurt once more. Only when they heard Cooper catcalling from the other side of the room did they pull apart completely. Blaine glared playfully at him but laughed. It didn't matter that they were surrounded by a group of boys and adults. He was entirely too happy to care. He had an amazing boyfriend, they won Nationals, and his family was there to witness the whole thing. It was a good day to be a Warbler.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Anderson-Hummel

"Warblers, settle down!" Wes hollered over the excited chatter. The boys were allowed to have an entire day in the city and they were anxious to get out. Wes had been trying to get their attention for over fifteen minutes already but the boys were too excited to listen to their lead councilman. "We're never going to get out of here." Wes grumbled to himself, just loud enough for Burt to hear him.

Burt shook his head and chuckled before grabbing a seat and standing up on it. He inserted his thumb and index finger into his mouth and whistled loudly, finally grabbing the Warblers attention. "Gentleman, I believe Wes has something to say and if you don't keep your mouths shut you will be spending the whole day stuck in your hotel room. Is that clear?" He said firmly in his Papa Bear Hummel voice. The boys instantly stopped talking and gave Wes their full attention.

"Thanks, Mr. Hummel." Wes replied, relief evident in his voice.

"Sure, kid." Burt said with a nod as he stepped down from the chair.

"I know you're all eager to get out in the city," Wes started. "But it is crucial that you don't stray from your group. Getting lost in a small town like Westerville is nothing compared to getting lost in a city like New York. Many of you have anxiety and it would be terrible to get stuck somewhere you don't know with no one to help you. Do not stray from your group. Do not go off on your own. This is for your safety. Understood?" The Warblers nodded fervently, eager to get out.

"Good. Freshman and sophomores, once you're ready meet up at Mrs. Orion's room. She will have your schedule for the day. Juniors and seniors, meet up at Mr. Hummel's room. Remember everyone, we're meeting at Central Park at 6:30 and heading out to dinner from there. After dinner, we are coming back to the hotel. We have an early flight. You're dismissed." The boys quickly dissipated to get ready for the day.

Beatz and Sebastian approached Burt and pulled him off to the side for a private word. They had their own plan for the day and Kurt couldn't be anywhere near them if they wanted to pull it off.

"Were you not listening when Wes said that we are to stick together?" Burt questioned, crossing his arms

across his chest.

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"We never listen to Wes." Beatz said with a shrug, earning him a glare from Burt.

Sebastian held back a laugh and shook his head. "Wes' warning was more for the freshman and sophomores anyway, Mr. Hummel. We'll still stick together; we'll just do it away from the adults...and Kurt. We'll even convince Wes and the other guys to go with us. We just need you to tell Wes you're cool with it."

"And what exactly is so important that you have to hide from my son?" Burt asked.

Sebastian and Beatz glanced around the room for a moment, making sure that Kurt was nowhere around. "His birthday is a few weeks and we're throwing him a surprise party. Nothing big, just us Warblers. We need to pick some things up for him while we're here but he's so addicted to shopping that we'll never be able to get passed him what we buy." Beatz said.

Burt slipped his hands into his pocket, a wide smile spreading across his face. "You realize that Kurt hates surprises, right?"

Beatz and Sebastian both grinned from ear to ear and nodded. "We know." They replied simultaneously.

Burt threw his head back in laughter. Who was he to deny Kurt's best friends a chance to plot against him? "You know what, go ahead. I'll keep Kurt busy for the day. He'll be too excited to the see the city to care that you're gone anyway."

"Yes!" Beatz exclaimed, high-fiving Sebastian. "Thanks Mr. Hummel. We really appreciate it."

"Sure thing." Burt nodded. "And enough with this Mr. Hummel. I know you guys are supposed to be all proper but you're making me feel old. Call me Burt."

Both boys laughed and nodded. "Thanks Burt." Sebastian said. "Now, let's go see if we can get Wes to remove the stick out of his ass."

Convincing Wes and the others to skip their original plan with the chaperones was easier than Sebastian and Beatz had expected. As soon as they said that they were planning something for Kurt's birthday, the rest of their classmates eagerly agreed. By the time they left the hotel, every junior and senior Warbler

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had a list of things they would be buying for Kurt's birthday. Without a word to either Kurt or Blaine, the junior and senior Warblers disappeared into the city, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone with their families.

"Wait, where are they going?" Kurt asked his dad when he noticed the group going the opposite way of their planned destination.

"Oh um...I let them head off on their own." Burt replied nonchalantly. "Why?" Kurt questioned.

"Because...because I wanted to spend some alone time with you and the Andersons and they understood that." Burt answered quickly.

"Oh...ok." Kurt replied slowly.

Burt smiled at his son and walked away toward Cooper and Julianne just as Blaine walked over to him. "Hey, where are the guys going?"

Kurt grabbed hold of Blaine's hand and glanced back at their friends once more. "Apparently my dad told them to go off on their own so that our families can spend some time together."

"Oh, cool." Blaine said with a smile, clearly happy to spend the day with his family.

"Mhm." Kurt nodded as they walked over to their families. Something told him the boys were up to something but he decided not to question it. "So, since it's just us, what are the plans?" he asked his dad.

"Well I know you want to go shopping so I figured we could do that first and get it out of the way." Burt smirked.

"OH! I want to go shopping!" Cooper cut in excitedly, making the others laugh. "Shopping it is." Burt said with a nod and started walking away.

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The next few hours were spent going in and out of shops. Burt and Julianne watched in amusement as their sons excitedly went shopping. Kurt was in heaven as he sifted through the scarves, Cooper found himself trying on hat after hat, insisting that his wardrobe needed a new accessory, and Blaine got stuck at the bowties. Kurt reveled in dressing up the Anderson brothers. He picked out different suits for Cooper to try on, making sure to mention how much he looked like Neal Caffrey, comparing the similarities and differences. After much debate, it was decided that Cooper was better looking than Neal and Cooper simply preened at the compliment. Once Kurt was satisfied with Cooper's new clothes, he moved on to Blaine.

Blaine was much more difficult to dress than Cooper. Kurt kept trying to put Blaine in too tight colorful pants and cardigans while Blaine just wanted to buy new bowties, insisting that he didn't need new clothes. After a highly entertaining disagreement, Kurt gave up and started finding outfits for himself instead. As he went through the racks, Blaine walked over to his brother, who was once again trying on hats.

"What do you think, Squirt? Should I get the one with the green or the one with the blue?" Cooper asked Blaine, holding out two fedoras.

"Hm, I say the blue. It'll make your eyes pop." Blaine replied thoughtfully.

Cooper tried the blue hat once more, giving himself a onceover in the mirror. "You're right. Good choice." Blaine nodded happily and took the green one to put away.

Cooper turned around to look at a black bowler and ran straight into a pretty blond. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there." He apologized.

"No, no it's fine." The woman assured him. "It was my fault." The woman looked up at Cooper and instantly got caught in his eyes. "Nice hat. It matches your eyes." She said a little breathily.

Cooper smiled charmingly and tipped the fedora on his head. "Thank you. I'm Cooper." He introduced himself.

"Hilary." She replied with a brilliant smile as she shook his hand.

Cooper nodded slowly, his eyes locked with the beautiful blond. "Hilary. Gorgeous name."

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Hilary blushed at the compliment, reluctantly letting go of Cooper's hand. "Thank you."

Blaine rolled his eyes fondly and walked away, giving his brother space to undoubtedly swoon the young woman. He walked back over to the dressing rooms where Kurt was trying on clothes, and found him checking himself out in one of the full length mirrors. Blaine set his things down in a nearby chair, came up behind Kurt, and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"You look gorgeous." Blaine muttered against Kurt's skin as he kissed his neck lightly. Kurt giggled lightly and tilted his head to allow Blaine to continue kissing him. "Yeah?" "Mhm." Blaine nodded. "Very sexy."

Julianne, who had been watching Kurt from afar, smiled softly as Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt. She was amazed by how comfortable they were with one another, how in love they were. Never in her life had she witnessed such utter devotion. Even with her soon to be ex-husband, there was never a moment where they shared such a deep love. Her marriage was one of convenience, not love, and it wasn't until she witnessed her youngest son melt into the arms of his boyfriend that she realized it. The love Kurt and Blaine shared was pure and true, and it brought a slight tear to her eye. She couldn't help but wonder how she lasted so long in a marriage that contained so much hatred.

"Beautiful, ain't they?" Burt said as he walked up behind her, breaking her reverie.

"Yes, they really are." She agreed with a sigh. She glanced over at Burt and smiled. Burt Hummel was not at all what she had expected him to be. He was strong and had a sense of power much like Nathan, but he was also kind and good-hearted. He had accepted her son as his own the instant the boys started dating and she would forever be grateful for the man. "Burt, I need to thank you for what you've done."

"For what I've done?" Burt questioned, raising an eyebrow. "What did I do?"

"You accepted Blaine." Julianne replied with a half shrug. "You let him into your heart and into your home, and you've shown him how a real man should act. Blaine's father...he was never one to show affection to our boys, even before everything went to hell. He believed that showing affection made a man weak. But you, you are proof that my husband was full of shit." She said with a small laugh. "You raised your son with equal parts strength and love and he's grown up to be an impressive young man. You didn't have to accept

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Blaine the way you have. You didn't have to treat him like family but you did, and for that I couldn't be more grateful."

"I accepted your son because he is an amazing young man. He helped Kurt find himself again and for that, I will always love him as my own." Burt said softly. "I'm sorry for what your husband put your family through but know that you are always welcome in my home. Those two are it for each other. We're family now and the Hummels take care of their family."

Julianne smiled and glanced back at the boys again. "Do you really think they'll stay together? They haven't even turned 18."

"I met my Lizzy when I was 15 and I knew the moment I met her that she was the one." Burt replied with a fond smile. "They're young, but I would bet you anything that those two will be married one day."

The certainty in Burt's voice made Julianne believe it to be true. She wanted it to be true, she wanted it to be real. She wanted her son to live a life full of love and laughter and she wanted Kurt to be the one to give it to him. There was so much sadness and hatred in her life that it was hard to believe in the good things. If there was one thing she could believe in, however, it was the love between the boys.

As the day progressed, Julianne stopped thinking of her husband and the pain he caused and focused on her boys. Watching her sons and Kurt interact with one another brought so much joy to her heart that she couldn't help but want to cry. Not that bad kind of crying though, but the kind that came from being truly happy. It was such an unusual feeling for her, being happy, and it overwhelmed her to tears. She knew that a big part of her happiness was due to Kurt's presence. It was Kurt who made Blaine smile like a small child in a candy store and it was Kurt who made Cooper act like a boy once more. Seeing her children so happy, maybe for the first time, made her happy, and she needed Kurt to know how much she appreciated him.

Shortly after they arrived at Central Park, before the rest of the Warblers showed up, Julianne pulled Kurt aside. She was nervous to talk to him without her sons there to help the conversation flow, but it was something she needed to do so she swallowed her nerves and asked him to go for a walk. They walked through Central Park in silence first, neither one knowing what to say. When they were a good distance away from their family, Julianne finally found the courage to speak.

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"Kurt, I brought you out here because I needed to thank you." She said softly as she stopped walking and turned to face him. "I've never seen Blaine so happy before and that's because of you. I haven't been the best mother and Blaine's had it real hard, partially because of me. I didn't think I would ever be able to have a relationship with him again and I can't tell you how grateful I am that he's given me the chance. The smile on his face, the one that comes from his utter love and devotion to you, is the most beautiful thing I have ever had the honor to witness and I can only thank you for putting that smile there. Blaine means everything to me and seeing him so happy is all I could ever want for him."

Kurt smiled softly at Julianne as he wiped a tear away. "If anyone here has to thank someone, it's me thanking you. You see, when I first came to Dalton, I was a mess. I was so lost and broken and I was sure that no one would be able to understand me. I was sure that no one would be able to love me. But Blaine? From the moment we met, he's been nothing but kind and sincere. His smile was what made me feel normal again. His smile is what broke through my walls."

"His smile is what I first fell in love with. You say that the smile he has with me is the happiest you've ever seen? Well, the smile he had when he told me that you were back in his life, the smile he has anytime he talks about you, that smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever had the honor to witness. You mean so much to Blaine, more than you could possibly know, and I can't thank you enough for loving him. I can't thank you enough for taking the chance to be back in his life. I may be his boyfriend, but you are his mother. Blaine hasn't been truly happy in a long time, and letting you in is what's making him this happy."

"I was so worried that he wouldn't want me in his life anymore and after what happened, I wouldn't have blamed him." Julianne replied with a sad smile.

"There's no need to worry, Mrs. Anderson. Blaine loves you and he needs you. Thank you for not giving up on him." Kurt said sincerely.

"Thank you for loving him." Julianne replied. "And thank you for not holding my past mistakes against me. I don't know what I would've done if my future son-in-law hated me." She teased, making Kurt blush.

"Don't you think it's kind of early for that?" Kurt asked, ducking his head shyly.

Julianne smiled, reached for Kurt's face, and lifted it so that he would look at her. "Not at all. You and my son are soul mates, you're meant to be together, and I cannot wait to be able to call you son."

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Kurt laughed lightly as Julianne pulled him in for a hug. They held each other for a moment, both reveling in the comfort. When they parted, they both laughed at the tears that were streaming down. Kurt intertwined his arm with Julianne's and started heading back towards their family.

"You know, your father told me you loved to plan weddings. I don't want to step on your toes, but I've always had a knack for event planning. When the time comes, maybe I could help you?" Julianne suggested, a teasing smile playing at her lips.

Kurt blushed under her gaze and nodded. "I think we could work something out." Julianne smiled brightly and squeezed Kurt's arm lovingly. Life was still hard and it was still going to throw curveballs at her, but at least she had her family and a new one to help her through it.

Blaine watched his mother and his boyfriend talking in the distance, a nervous bubble forming in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea what they were talking about but he prayed that it was going well.

"Relax, son. They're only talking." Burt said from a few feet away. Blaine's heart soared at how Burt called him son.

"I know. I just...I really want them to get along." Blaine admitted quietly.

Burt came over to him, placed an arm over his shoulder, and watched Kurt and Julianne talk. Both smiled broadly when they saw them hugging. "I think they're getting along just fine."

"Knowing Mom, she's planning your wedding right now." Cooper teased as he came up behind them. "Coop." Blaine whined, nervously glancing over at Burt.

Burt simply smiled and shrugged. "Knowing my son, he already has your wedding all planned out."

Blaine ducked his head and blushed. Had Kurt really been planning their wedding already? Did he really want to marry Blaine? Did Blaine want to spend the rest of his life with Kurt? Yes, he definitely did. There was no doubt about it. He couldn't deny that spending a life with Kurt would make him the happiest person alive. But they were so young. Would they be able to make it to that point? Blaine glanced at his brother and Burt, and then back to Kurt and his mother who were now walking back. After everything

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they'd already been through, he was sure that they would indeed make it to the end. His life may have started out rocky, but as he looked at his new family, he knew it would end perfectly.

When the Warblers pulled up to Dalton, the entire school was waiting to congratulate them. The dean was so proud of her boys that she gave the entire school a day off. The Warblers brought such pride to Dalton that it was only fitting for the whole school to celebrate with them. Once all the excited chatter began to die down, Julianne pulled Blaine aside in order to say goodbye.

"I am so proud of you, son." She said as they hugged. "You were incredible this weekend." "Thanks, Mom. I can't thank you enough for coming to support us." Blaine replied as they parted.

"Thank you for sharing this with me. I know I wasn't always there for you before but I promise to always be there for you now." She said gently.

"That's all I ask." Blaine said with a small smile.

Just then, Kurt came into Julianne's line of vision, and she smiled as she remembered their conversation. "You know, I'm really glad that Kurt's in your life. He really loves you, Blaine. You're lucky to have such an amazing young man as your boyfriend."

Blaine blushed and smiled, feeling happier than ever before. "Thank you for accepting him, for accepting us. He really is incredible."

"So are you. That's why you were made for each other." She teased. "Mom." Blaine whined in embarrassment, although he was smiling.

"I'm just stating facts, sweetheart." She said nonchalantly as she pulled him in for one more hug. "I love you, Blaine."

"I love you, Mom." They embraced for a moment longer before she finally let him go. Julianne gave a kiss farewell on the cheek and headed out to the car where Cooper was waiting for her.

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Blaine watched his mother walk away, a tear streaming down his face. He turned around to find Kurt just as Kurt approached him. "Hey, are you ok?"

Blaine grabbed Kurt's face and pulled him in for a deep kiss, not caring who was around. "I'm perfect." He replied with a huge grin. Kurt smiled back and lunged himself into Blaine's arm, hugging him tightly. Nothing and no one was going to stand in their way now. Not Karofsky and not Blaine's father. The time for fear was over. There were still a few bumps ahead, but together, they would make it through anything.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Stronger

Not long after their parents left, Blaine dragged Kurt to their dorm room for some alone time. He couldn't stop thinking about the jokes their families made about them getting married and he needed to discuss it with Kurt. He was also dying to know exactly what Kurt and his mother had talked about. Whatever it was had obviously solidified a bond between them because they went from not talking at all to giggling together over the woman Cooper met while shopping. It was definitely a welcomed sight, but it increased his curiosity tenfold and he needed to know before he went crazy.

As soon as Kurt closed the dorm room door behind them, Blaine grabbed him by the hips and tossed him into their bed. Blaine then pounced on the bed and started tickling Kurt mercilessly.

"AH!" Kurt half screamed, half squealed. "No! Stop it!"

"No way." Blaine laughed out.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Kurt giggled, unable to contain the snorts of laughter. "Please!"

"Not until you tell me what you and my mom talked about." Blaine replied.

"What?" Kurt breathed as he tried his best to get out Blaine's grasp.

"I said," Blaine moved to straddle Kurt, grabbed hold of Kurt's wrist, and pinned them above his head. "Not until you tell me what you and my mom talked about."

Kurt struggled for only a moment before desire suddenly coursed through him. He hadn't said anything to Blaine yet, but he was ready for more. He was ready for Blaine to take him and with their current position, he couldn't help but feel turned on. He bit his lower lip as Blaine's favorite shade of pink rose up his cheeks, and locked eyes with his boyfriend. Blaine instantly noticed the change in atmosphere. He briefly thought about getting off of Kurt so they could talk, but the look of pure want in Kurt's eyes was entirely too intoxicating to pass up. Blaine leaned forward to catch Kurt's lips in a searing kiss, his pants tightening due to his growing erection. He maneuvered Kurt's wrists so that he could hold them with one hand and moved his free hand down Kurt's side.

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Kurt shivered in anticipation as Blaine's hand found its way under his shirt. Blaine began teasing Kurt's nipple, making Kurt arch his back in search of friction. Blaine grinded down roughly, both groaning into the kiss. He released Kurt's lips and attached his mouth to the spot just underneath Kurt's jaw, eliciting the breathy moans he loved so much.

"I want to fuck you so bad." Blaine muttered against Kurt's skin unintentionally. He had no time to chastise himself for the bold statement because Kurt whined in such desire it went straight to his cock.

"Yes! God yes!" Kurt replied desperately.

Blaine stopped his ministrations and looked up at Kurt questionably. "Are you sure?" "Yes." Kurt answered instantly. "Please, baby. I want you so bad."

Blaine didn't need to be told twice. He swiftly maneuvered himself in-between Kurt's legs, which naturally wrapped around his torso, all the while still firmly holding Kurt's hand above his head. Blaine started sucking the spot underneath Kurt's jaw again as they began a steady but rough rhythm between them. Just as Blaine's free started unbuttoning Kurt's shirt, Thad walked into their room.

Thad stood frozen in the doorway for a moment, his eyes wide in surprise. Neither boy had noticed the intrusion yet so they continued their grinding and panting. Realizing that he was staring, and admittedly getting hard, Thad shook his head and cleared his throat loudly, finally grabbing their attention.

"Bas wasn't kidding. You two are hot when you're like this." Thad said with a smirk, his cheeks a bright shade of pink.

Blaine let go of Kurt and sat up quickly, embarrassed at being caught by their councilman. "Thad!" he squeaked. "Wh-what's up?"

"Oh, I think you know." Thad replied with a cheeky grin and a crude glance.

"Oh my God." Kurt grumbled, his hands covering his face. "You are most definitely Bastian's boyfriend."

Thad smiled proudly and finished stepping into their room. "That I am. Now, I hate to interrupt your fun, but Dean Morrison wants everyone down in the gymnasium. Apparently the whole school is having a

pizza party to celebrate our win.

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Kurt fell backwards on his pillow in complete frustration. "Only at Dalton would we be cockblocked by pizza." Kurt muttered more to himself than the others.

Blaine held back a chuckle and nodded. "We'll be down in a minute."

"Uh, huh." Thad nodded, clearly unconvinced, and walked out of their room.

Blaine gave Kurt one last kiss then reluctantly got off Kurt's lap. "Our friends have the worst timing ever." he pouted.

Kurt sighed and nodded in agreement as he sat up. "Do you want me to tell you what your mom and I talked about before we head down?"

Blaine contemplated it for a moment before shaking his head. "How about you tell me something else?" Kurt raised an eyebrow as he re-buttoned his shirt. "Ok. What?" he inquired.

"Do you...have you put any thought into what the future holds for us?" Blaine asked shyly.

"I...maybe." Kurt answered just as shyly.

"Yeah? What do you think about?" Blaine questioned.

"I don't know." Kurt shrugged, an entirely new blush setting in. "I guess...I think about how I want us to live in New York, and I think about what kind of careers we'll have."

"Oh? And what are our careers?" Blaine asked, pulling Kurt closer so that Kurt was straddling him.

"Well, I'm a fashion designer with my very own, very successful fashion line." Kurt said as he wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck. "And you are a huge Broadway star with millions of adoring fans."

"Fashion designer and Broadway star? That's pretty far in the future, babe." Blaine commented with a wide grin. "Does that mean you want to marry me and spend the rest of your life with me?"

Kurt's blush deepened as he nodded. "Well, yeah. I do."

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Blaine smiled brighter than ever before at Kurt's admission. "Me too." he replied softly.

Kurt leaned in to kiss Blaine again but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Stop making out and get your asses out of the room before the dean decides to come get you herself." David said from the other side of the door.

Kurt rolled his eyes and got off Blaine's lap. The last thing they needed was for the dean to catch them in a questionable position. He started making his way towards the door but stopped when Blaine grabbed his arm and pulled him back into a tender kiss. They kissed for only a moment but it was enough to make Kurt's head spin.

"I love you." Blaine whispered against Kurt's lips.

"I love you, too." Kurt replied with a happy sigh. David pounded on their door again and they finally left the room.

The rest of the week was filled with homework and exams. With Nationals out of the way, the boys were able to relax in-between study sessions. When they weren't doing schoolwork, they were hanging out in the common room or Warbler hall, simply talking and laughing with each other. With only four weeks left of school, the Warblers made it a point to spend as much time together, especially the seniors who had special relationships with the underclassman. While there was much excitement about graduation, there was sadness too about leaving the friends that depended on them.

On Friday, the Warblers elected two new councilmen. With Wes and Thad graduating, they needed someone who would be able to control the boys and someone who would be the voice of reason. Those who wanted a chance on the council stated their cases before the boys voted. Once the votes had been counted, the three councilmen discussed who would take Wes' place and who would take Thad's. It hadn't been a difficult decision. They had all agreed on who they wanted to take over before the election was complete and they were thrilled to see that their fellow Warblers agreed.

"Before we tell you who you've voted into the council, know that we whole-heartedly agree with your decision." Wes said. "These two Warblers have proved time and time again what being a Warbler is all

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about and we're confident that they will be able to take the Warblers to Nationals again." The boys glanced at each other, all wearing the same eager expressions.

"The Warbler who will be taking my place is," Thad let the statement hang for a moment before turning his head in the direction of the Warbler. "Warbler Danny."

Danny's jaw dropped in surprise as the rest of the Warblers cheered him on. He hadn't expected to be voted on simply because he was a sophomore. Trent wasn't in the least bit surprised that his boyfriend was voted onto the council though. Danny was incredibly sweet and mature for his age and the boys often went to him for advice. He was a quiet boy but he was extremely compassionate. The Warblers were thrilled to have him as their councilman.

"Congratulations, Warbler Danny." Wes said with a nod. "Now, the Warbler who be taking my place as Council Leader is," Wes glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the Warbler. "Warbler Kurt."

Kurt yelped excitedly as the rest of the room erupted. Sebastian and Beatz had convinced him to run for councilman not only because he was strong-willed and determined, but because he was well organized and the other Warblers respected him the same way they respected Wes. Kurt had a sense of authority that the others lacked but he wasn't a control freak like Wes. Between David's knowledge and experience, Danny's compassionate nature, and Kurt's firm authority, the council would be strong next year and the Warblers would be unstoppable.

"Congratulations, Warbler Kurt. We will have a councilman meeting at the end of next week and you are both expected to attend. We'll discuss what the council will need from you and how to make sure you have a successful year. That's all for today boys. Have a good weekend." Wes dismissed.

As the boys dissipated, Kurt grabbed Sebastian by the hand and walked with him out to the courtyard. Kurt would be going home that weekend to sleepover at Santana's house and he still needed to talk to Sebastian about what he'd suggested to Blaine about Santana's past. He wasn't exactly angry with Sebastian, but simply annoyed that he would make such a bold statement about a girl he barely knew.

"What's this about, Kurt? I'm supposed to go home with Thad this weekend and I can't do that if you kidnap me." Sebastian teased as they sat down on the bench.

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"I have to head home too so I'll make this short." Kurt started. "I want to know what you meant when you told Blaine that you saw a lot of us in Santana."

"Oh. That's what this is about." Sebastian replied with an eye roll.

Kurt glared at his best friend and smacked him on the arm. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Smythe. Now talk.

What did you mean by that?"

"Just that, Kurt." Sebastian shrugged. "I could be wrong, but I know a defense mechanism when I see one

and her, 'I'm a badass bitch' attitude is exactly that."

"Santana is a badass bitch though. She always has been." Kurt argued.

"Like I said, I could be wrong, but I doubt it." Sebastian replied apologetically.

Kurt was quiet for a moment as he thought of Santana. He'd known her most of his life and she'd always been the hardass she was now. But Kurt knew better than anyone nothing was ever what it seemed and lately, Santana had indeed been acting different. Could something really have happened to her? Could she have been taken advantage of like he and Sebastian had been? Or was it something else, something worse?

"Do you really think what happened to us happened to her?" Kurt asked quietly.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Sebastian shrugged. "What I do know is that I see the same look of distrust in her eyes that I see in ours."

Kurt sighed and nodded. "We're having a sleepover tomorrow and she said she needed to talk about something."

"Whatever it is she tells you, just remember to listen. Our biggest hurdle is letting people in, Kurt. Don't push her to tell you anything but let her know that you will be there for her no matter what." Sebastian said softly.

"Yeah, ok." Kurt said. "Come on. We should go before our boyfriend's think we've run away together."

Sebastian gasped loudly, placing a hand over his heart as if it hurt. "You mean to tell me that you don't want to run away with me? I thought I meant something to you!"

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Kurt snorted a laugh and shook his head as they started walking back. "You're such a dork. I'm going to miss you next year."

Sebastian grinned, draping an arm around Kurt's shoulder, and kissed his forehead lightly. "I'm going to miss you too." Kurt rested his head on Sebastian's shoulder and continued walking. He was going to have to plan a special best friend date before graduation. He wasn't sure if Sebastian knew just how much he appreciated their friendship but he would make sure he knew by the end of the school year.

By the time Kurt made it to Santana's house Saturday evening, Santana was a mess. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so nervous. She couldn't remember the last she'd felt so vulnerable and they hadn't even talked yet. She thought about cancelling their sleepover all together but she knew if she did, she'd regret it. Instead, she dolled herself up and pushed her feelings away like she always did.

They didn't talk about anything heavy for the first few hours. They chit chatted about school and their friends, Santana listened jealously about the Warblers win at Nationals, and Kurt laughed at all the drama surrounding the New Directions. Kurt couldn't stop thinking about what Sebastian had told him. It was hard for him to imagine that something like what happened to him had happened to Santana, but as the night when on and Santana became visibly nervous, Kurt started to think that maybe Sebastian was right.

After talking for a while, they settled in to watch a movie. Kurt could tell that Santana wasn't really paying attention to the movie though and halfway through, he couldn't help but ask her what was wrong.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" she questioned him, her eyes glued to the TV.

"I don't know." Kurt shrugged. "Maybe because you asked me over to have a sleepover and the last time I checked, you didn't even like me all that much." He teased.

"That's where you're wrong, lady lips. Didn't you know you were my favorite gay?" Santana quipped with a smirk.

"Am I now?" Kurt asked with a laugh. Santana shrugged in response but said nothing. Kurt reached over Santana's bed and grabbed her hand to hold. "San, are you sure you're ok? You can tell me if something's wrong. I won't judge you or make fun of you, if that's what you're worried about."

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The softness of Kurt's voice broke through Santana's hard exterior and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, no. Don't apologize. Don't ever apologize for crying." Kurt replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Could we...could we lay down?" Santana asked through her tears.

Kurt was surprised by her request but laid down nonetheless. Santana nestled her body next to his, resting her head on his chest, one arm tucked underneath her and the other wrapping around Kurt's torso. Kurt gently caressed her arm and held her protectively as she continued to cry. Never in the entirety of their friendship had he ever seen Santana so broken and it threw him for a loop. The old Kurt never would've known how to handle the sudden emotion. The new Kurt, however, the one Dalton build, knew that he needed to hold her and show her that she wasn't alone. After what seemed like hours, Santana's crying subsided and she finally opened up about what had happened to her.

"I was only 11 when he did it." She started. Kurt's heart constricted but he stayed quiet as she continued. "He was my brother's friend and I...I used to follow them around because I thought he was cute. And he...he used to tell me how pretty I was and how the guys were going to love me when I got older. I remember telling him how cute I thought he was and how none of the boys at school were as cute as him. He brushed it off and told me that I was still young and had plenty of time for boyfriends and basically rejected me right there in front of my brother and I was so heartbroken. But then, that night, he came into my room and started kissing me and telling me how much he liked me." Santana started crying harder as the memories of that night came rushing back.

"Shh, it's ok. You're ok. Take your time." Kurt said gently.

Santana forced herself to stop crying and wiped her tears away before continuing. "I don't know how it happened, but one moment we're kissing and the next he was telling me how to give him a blow job. Then...then we were naked and he was fucking me and telling me how special I was and how it would be our secret and I just let him. I let him have sex with me, Kurt. How could I do that?"

"You didn't let him do anything, Santana. You were young and naïve and he took advantage of that." Kurt replied.

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"When I got a little older, I felt so stupid. He completely ignored me whenever he saw me after that. I was such a moron for believing him. He was 17 for fuck's sake! What kind of 17 year old wants a dumb little girl? But back then, I actually believed that we would be together and that we would have some secret romance and I just...I felt so used. I still feel used. There are days where I can't even look at myself in the mirror without wanting to punch myself for my own stupidity!"

"You are not now nor were you ever stupid." Kurt chided softly. "You were only a little girl. How could you possibly defend yourself against him?"

"But I threw myself at him, Kurt!" Santana said angrily as she sat up in the bed. "I kept telling him how much I liked him and how cute I thought he was and-"

"Telling someone you think they're cute is not throwing yourself at them, San. You were only 11 and he was 17 years old. He knew better, you didn't. I'm sure at the time kissing was all you could possibly have even imagined doing with him. You said it yourself, you didn't even know how to do what he was asking you to. You trusted him and he abused that trust. He abused you. He raped you, Santana, and there was absolutely nothing about what happened that was your fault. Nothing you said or did or even wanted gave him the right to steal away the innocence of an 11 year old girl. He was a monster disguised as a cute boy. Please believe me when I tell you that you didn't do anything wrong and you certainly did not allow him to do anything." Kurt replied firmly.

"Then why do I feel so dirty? Why do I feel like such a whore?" Santana cried.

"Because he poisoned your mind, but I promise you, I promise that you aren't a whore." Kurt assured her.

Santana began to cry hysterically, falling into Kurt's arms and clutching onto him for dear life. "I just want to stop feeling like a bad person. I want to stop feeling like I'm worthless."

"I know, sweetie. I know." Kurt cooed. "I know it's hard right now, but it'll get better."

"How could it possibly get better? It's been years and I'm still disgusted by what happened."

"Fight it, San. You are so much stronger now then you were when you were 11. You can fight it. You just have to believe in yourself. Fight the poison he injected you with." Kurt said.

Santana let out a choked laugh at Kurt's words. "Are you saying his cum was poison?" - 444 -

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"Yes." Kurt replied as she sat back up. "His cum was poison and it's been killing you for years. San, you are the most beautiful, strongest girl I have ever met. You can fight this. I'm not saying it won't be hard because it will, but if anyone can fight this and come back ten times stronger, it's you."

Santana offered him a watery smile and nodded. "I've never told anyone what happened."

"Doesn't it feel good getting it off your chest?" Kurt asked. Santana nodded slowly, wiping the tears away. "Well then, good. Telling me was the first step to fighting, San. Letting people in, allowing others to see you like this will help you."

"Like what? A blubbering mess with mascara running down my face?" She quipped.

Kurt smiled softly and wiped away a bit of smudged mascara. "No. Human." Santana rolled her eyes but smiled. "I'm not saying tell the whole world or that you even need to tell anyone else. But letting those you trust and love in, like your parents or Brittany, will be a big help. You can never truly love someone until you love yourself, San. And you should love yourself because you are amazing and one day, you will do amazing things."

Santana took a deep breath and looked away. "Thank you for listening to me and not judging me, Kurt."

"Oh, I'm totally judging you, Satan. This is some very cheap mascara. Not even waterproof! Who plans a night like this without waterproof mascara? Besides, it'll do terrible things to your skin." Kurt teased, earning him a laugh from Santana.

"Yeah well, I guess it's a good thing I have my favorite gay to show me the way." She replied softly.

"Exactly." Kurt said with a small smile. "How about I get my face creams so we can do a proper skin regimen and I can remind you how undeniably beautiful you are?"

"Sure, lady lips. Whatever gets your rocks off." Santana said with a scoff. Kurt shook his head and rolled his eyes as he got off her bed to grab his things.

On the outside, Kurt was calm and collected. On the inside, however, he was angry and heartbroken. He wanted to find the guy that took advantage of Santana and give him a piece of his mind. He wanted to call Beatz and Sebastian, give them the guy's address, and instruct them to beat his ass for putting Santana through such turmoil. He didn't of course, knowing that it wouldn't change anything, but boy did he want

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to. He hoped that talking about what happened to her would help Santana come to terms with it. He hoped she would be able to move on and live a life full of love. He was honored that she would even share such a tragic event with him and he vowed to himself that he would do everything he could to help Santana with her inner demons.

Late that night, Blaine got a text from Kurt thanking him for being such an amazing friend and boyfriend. Blaine knew that Kurt was having his sleepover with Santana and the text made him think that Sebastian had been right about Santana's past. He sent Kurt a quick reply telling him that he loved him and thanking him for being just as amazing before connecting his phone to its charger for the night. Just as he got settled for bed, Cooper knocked on his bedroom door.

"Hey, you got a minute?" Cooper asked from the doorway.

"For you, I have two." Blaine replied as he sat up in bed. "What's up?"

Cooper walked over to Blaine's bed and took a seat at the end. "I wanted to talk to you about Dad."

Blaine stiffened instantly. "What about him?"

"The P.I. found something, something really incriminating, something that would ruin his career." Cooper said cautiously.kij

"Seriously?" Blaine asked just a tad too enthusiastically.

Cooper chuckled and nodded. "Seriously, but I'm not going to tell you what it is yet. I want to tell Mom first." Blaine nodded understandingly. "I was hoping the three of us could go to the house once school's out and confront him together. Mom still needs to get some of her things but I don't want her to go by herself. Is that alright with you? Will you be able to confront Dad in just a few weeks?"

Blaine was quiet for a moment, briefly remembering his last encounter with his father. A part of him was still scared of the man, but a stronger, more determined part refused to let his father win. "Yeah, I'll be ready."

"Are you sure? I don't want to force you to do anything you aren't ready for." Cooper replied. - 446 -

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"I'm sure." Blaine said resolutely. "It's going to suck seeing him again anyway, no matter when I do it. I'd rather do it sooner with you and mom then wait. I don't want to spend my summer worrying about him. I don't want to spend another minute being scared of him. The only way that's going to happen is if I confront him and prove to him that I'm more of a man than he'll ever be."

Cooper smiled proudly at his baby brother. "Alright then. We'll confront him together, as a family." "As a family." Blaine repeated.

"Goodnight, Squirt. I love you." Cooper said, ruffling Blaine ungelled hair.

"Night, Coop." Blaine replied. "I love you too." Cooper leaned forward, kissed Blaine on the forehead, and walked out of the room. He was so unbelievably proud of Blaine and their mother for refusing to let Nathan control them. He couldn't wait to finally break them free of his grasp. It was only a matter of time.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Happy Birthday, Kurt

The Warblers stealthily made their way to the Warbler hall late Monday night. They still needed to finalize the details of Kurt's birthday party but with them always being together, the only chance they had to plan in secret was by sneaking out of their dorms. Wes really wanted to scold them, and himself, for sneaking out but he knew it was the only way.

"Would you chill out, already?" David had said to him at one point. "We have like, three weeks of school left."

"Exactly!" Wes whispered frantically. "If we get caught sneaking out and get in trouble so close to the end of the year then I can just kiss my college career goodbye!"

David rolled his eyes at his best friend and held back a laugh. "Dude, we're just going to the Warbler hall to plan a surprise party. We're not committing a crime. How many times have Kurt and Jeff snuck Santana and Quinn out without getting caught?"

Wes' eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in on David. "I don't know, David. Why don't you tell me how many times they have snuck the girls out because I certainly had no idea they were even sneaking in!" Wes nearly shrieked.

"I thought you were all knowing, Wesley." David teased as they entered the Warbler hall. "Oh, shut up." Wes snapped.

"You really don't like breaking the rules do you?" Sebastian asked Wes in amusement. He was standing in the middle of the room with a box full of gag items they bought in New York.

"No, I don't." Wes grumbled.

"What about Warbler Starry Night? We have to sneak up on the roof for that one." Trent commented.

"One, that's tradition so it's different. Two, since it is tradition, we're not actually sneaking out because the

dean knows." Wes said matter-of-factly.

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"Well gee, Wes, thanks for ruining our fun." Beatz mumbled, clearly upset by the news that the dean was in on their sneaking out to the rooftop.

Wes simply shrugged, a smug smile playing at his lips. "Speaking of which, there's a meteor shower the night before graduation."

"I don't wanna go now." Beatz pouted. "Dean approved fun isn't fun at all."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and started unpacking the box of decorations to organize as they waited for the rest of the Warblers to show up. Once all the boys were in the hall, Beatz and Sebastian began discussing exactly what they wanted to do for Kurt's birthday. It was nothing elaborate but it was sure to embarrass Kurt which was the plan. They briefly discussed inviting the New Directions but Sebastian was quick to squash the idea.

"This is something that we as his brothers are doing for him. We don't need the Nude Erections here causing drama." Sebastian had said resolutely.

"With the exception of Quinn and Santana, of course." Jeff cut in.

"Right." Sebastian agreed, knowing full well how much the two girls meant to Kurt. "Quinn and Santana are more than welcomed but that's it."

"What about his brother?" David asked.

Sebastian mulled over for a moment before shaking his head. "Naw. Leave Sasquatch outta this. He can't keep a secret to save his life. He'll just end up telling the others. Let's leave it just us and the girls." The Warblers agreed and continued planning for the next hour before heading back to the dorms.

Friday morning, Blaine woke Kurt up with a birthday blow job. Kurt had been surprised by the gesture but didn't question it. He figured it was for his birthday so he laid back and enjoyed the way Blaine's tongue lapped over his length. While yes, the blow job was something Blaine wanted to do for Kurt's birthday, it was also a way to keep Kurt in the room for a little longer while the boys prepared the hallway. Once Kurt was thoroughly satisfied, he asked Blaine to shower with him, where he then returned the favor.

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"You are seriously the best boyfriend ever." Kurt said with a content sigh as Blaine finished drying him off.

"I try." Blaine replied with a wink. "Would you like your birthday present now or later?"

"You mean that fabulous blow job wasn't it?" Kurt asked as he slipped his boxers on. Blaine smiled brightly, practically bouncing in excitement as he quickly dried his body off and shook his head no. "Well, since you're obviously very excited, I'd like my present now please."

Blaine kissed Kurt on the nose, slipped his boxers on, and hurried out of the bathroom. Kurt giggled at Blaine's enthusiasm. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been excited for his birthday. The last few years had been so difficult that it was hard for him to enjoy his birthday. But this year was different. He was happy, healthy, safe, and head-over-heels in love. Nothing was going to ruin his birthday this year. He gave Blaine a few moments alone in their dorm before walking out of the bathroom.

Blaine was standing in the middle of the room clad in boxers only with his hands behind his back and a nervous smile gracing his face. Kurt walked over to him, held out his hands, and closed his eyes. A moment later, he felt a small box on the palm of his hands. He opened his eyes slowly, gasping when he saw it was a red jewelry box.

"Open it." Blaine whispered. Kurt took a deep breath, willing his racing heart to slow down, and opened the box.

"You made me bowtie ring using my favorite gum wrappers?" Kurt asked softly, his eyes welling up with tears.

Blaine grabbed the ring out of the box and nodded. "I did." He said as he grabbed Kurt's left hand. "It's a promise ring to keep your hand company until it's time for a real one."

"Blaine." Kurt breathed out as Blaine slipped the ring on.

Blaine locked eyes with Kurt and took a deep breath before speaking his promise. "Kurt Hummel, I promise to always love you and defend you. To always be here for you and to help guide you, no matter how dark or bumpy the road gets. To make you laugh. To let you hide in my arms when you're scared. To always catch you when you fall. But mostly, to be the best boyfriend I can be and to remind you that you are never, nor will you ever be, alone."

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Kurt wiped a tear away with his free hand before launching himself into Blaine's arms. "You're amazing. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Blaine whispered in his ear, leaving a feathery kiss on his jaw before parting. "Come on. We need to get ready for school."

Kurt dressed and gathered his things quickly, excited for the rest of the day. Blaine's promise set the bar for his birthday pretty high and he was certain that nothing could top it nor ruin it. He was more than ready for whatever the Warblers had inevitably planned for him. With his bowtie ring securely on his finger, Kurt draped his messenger bag over his shoulder and headed out of their dorm with Blaine.

As soon as he waked out, a bucket of glittery confetti was dumped on his head. Before he could comment on it, the Warblers hummed softly in the background as Sebastian came around the corner in nothing but his boxers and a white dress shirt.

"Happy Birthday, to you." Sebastian sang seductively as he tried to imitate Marilyn Monroe. "Oh dear God." Kurt laughed.

"Happy Birthday, to you." Beatz, who was dressed exactly like Sebastian, sang from the opposite side of the hall.

"This is so inappropriate!" Kurt said as he covered his eyes.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Hummel." Beatz and Sebastian sang together as they continued walking over to Kurt. "Happy Birthday, to you."

Kurt rolled his eyes and clapped. "That was great, really. Now go get dressed before I have to burn my eyes out."

"Not yet, princess." Sebastian said, earning him a glare from Kurt. "We still need to dress you appropriately."

"I am dressed appropriately." Kurt replied flatly. Sebastian glanced at Blaine with a wicked grin, prompting him to cover Kurt's eyes. "Blaine!" Kurt tried to remove Blaine's hands but Blaine refused to let go. Kurt then felt two pairs of hands put some sort of sash around him and something on his head. As soon

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as Blaine removed his hands, Kurt glanced down at his body to see that he was wearing a Kiss the Birthday Princess sash. "Oh, no way! I am so not wearing this!"

"Oh, yes you are." Sebastian said before grabbing Kurt's face and kissing him.

"BASTIAN!" Kurt squealed. Beatz then grabbed Kurt's face and kissed him as well. Before Kurt could begin to truly protest, every single Warbler was kissing him.

"Shouldn't you be upset that all these guys are kissing me?" He asked Blaine in between getting kissed. Blaine merely shrugged before kissing Kurt's lips as well.

"You are to wear that all day, Warbler Kurt." Wes said firmly in his councilman voice. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Wes replied before kissing Kurt.

"I hate you guys." Kurt mumbled as he fixed the tiara on his head.

"No you don't." Jeff smirked. "We thought about getting you a wand too but we figured you'd probably beat us with it."

"You figured right." Kurt quipped.

"Come on, princess. We have an entire school of boys who I'm sure are dying to kiss those pretty lips of yours." Trent said as he and Danny wrapped their arms around him and led him towards the cafeteria. Kurt glanced behind him and mouthed the words help me to Blaine. Blaine smiled and shook his head, laughing when Kurt pouted.

"Did you guys really set up confetti bombs throughout the whole school?" Blaine asked Jeff. "Yes, yes we did." Jeff laughed.

"The janitors are going to hate you guys." Blaine said, laughing along.

Jeff merely shrugged. "It's worth it."

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Throughout the rest of the day, Kurt was kissed by every Dalton boy who knew him personally. Those who didn't blew kisses his way instead. Several times at random moments, Kurt would suddenly be covered with confetti. The first couple of times had been funny. But by fourth period, Kurt was infuriated with his friends for it. He never knew when or where the confetti would drop, which made the entire school a hazard zone.

By the end of the day, Kurt was more than ready to head home. He loved his friends, really he did, but he was certain that he was going to kill one of at any given moment. But before he was allowed to head home, he and Danny needed to sit in the councilman meeting to discuss the following year. He waited for Danny in the sophomore common room so they could walk to the Warbler hall together, only to receive a text from him saying that he was already there. With a frustrated sigh, Kurt readjusted the tiara he was forced to wear all day and headed to the Warbler hall.

As soon as Kurt opened the double doors, more confetti was dropped on his head. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"SURPRISE!"

Kurt glared at his friends as they hooted. One more confetti bomb and he would lose it. "That better be the last one."

"It is." Sebastian grinned.

"Happy Birthday, Kurt!" Quinn squealed as she ran up to him to give a kiss.

"Happy Birthday." Santana said with a smile, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks, girls." Kurt smiled.

"Hey! How come they don't get yelled at like we did?" Jeff pouted.

"Because they're special to me and you're just annoying." Kurt quipped. "Can I please take this off now?"

he asked, gesturing to the sash.

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"No!" The boys answered simultaneously.

"Now get your ass in here so we can embarrass you some more!" Beatz shouted.

Kurt shook his head as Santana and Quinn led him to the center of the room where there was a chair disguised as a throne. "Now this, I could get used to." He said haughtily.

"Alright, now that the princess is settled, it's time to show him exactly why we love him so much." Sebastian said from the front of the room as the Warblers settled around him. "Ladies and gentleman, we present to you the beauty that is Kurt Hummel."

The lights were suddenly turned off as the projector screen lowered from the ceiling. Kurt was going to ask what was going on when the movie started. Or rather, the slide show. Beatz, who had a knack for videography, compiled a slideshow of all the pictures of Kurt that showed him being anything but graceful. There were some of him making weird faces while performing, some of him falling down, some of him yelling at people, some of him with facial creams on, and some of him stuffing his face with food. The ones that got the most laughs were the ones where he was caught yelling at people. The pictures were funny sure, but it was the commentary from Beatz and Jeff that made them hilarious.

Once the slideshow of funny Kurt was over, the nice pictures started. They ranged from candids of him laughing to some of Blaine and him cuddling in various places, and a few of him talking with the underclassman. By the end of the video, Kurt had cried both from laughing so hard at the funny pictures and being touched by the sweet ones. It was by far his best birthday ever.

"You guys didn't have to do all this for me." Kurt said when the lights were turned back on. "Yes, we did." Sebastian smiled. "Now get up there and tell us how much you love us."

Kurt got out of the chair, finally removing the sash and tiara despite the yells of protest, and stood in front of the boys.

"Well, today has certainly been eventful and while I'll be getting glitter out of my hair for the rest of my life, I truly appreciate what you've all done for me." Kurt said with a nod. "I've had this song in my back pocket for a while now but it never seemed like the right time to sing it. I guess now is a good a time as ever. This is dedicated to all of you. It's been a rough year and if it hadn't been for you guys, I don't know where I'd be. So, thank you."

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Kurt took a deep breath as he glanced around the room, his eyes landing on Blaine's last. The song may be dedicated to the group as a whole, but it was meant for Blaine and he wanted Blaine to know that.

It's not so easy lovin' me It gets so complicated

All the things you gotta be Everything's changing But you're the truth

I'm amazed by all your patience Everything I put you through

And when I'm about to fall Somehow you're always waiting Your open arms to catch me You're gonna save me from myself From myself, yes

You're gonna save me from myself

Just like the first time the Warblers ever heard Kurt truly sing, they were in tears. There was something almost haunting about the way he sang and the emotion he put forth while singing was moving. Kurt lost himself on the lyrics of the song. It wasn't just Blaine and the Warblers that saved him, it was Dalton. As silly as it may sound, he silently dedicated the song to the school that had become his home.

My love is tainted by your touch Well some guys have shown me aces But you got that royal flush

I know it's crazy every day

Well tomorrow may be shaky

But you never turn away

Don't ask me why I'm crying 'Cause when I start to crumble You know how to keep me smiling You always save me from myself From myself, myself

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You're gonna save me from myself

I know it's hard, it's hard

But you've broken all my walls You've been my strength, so strong

And don't ask me why I love you It's obvious your tenderness

Is what I need to make me

A better man

To myself

To myself, myself

You're gonna save me from my Myself

The room erupted as Kurt held out the last note. He laughed at their enthusiasm as he wiped his own set of tears away. Beatz was the first to react. He ran clear across the room and embraced Kurt in a hug. Within the next few moments, all the Warblers were piling up to hug Kurt.

"Why do you always gotta make me cry, man?" David grumbled.

"It's a gift." Kurt shrugged. "I can't thank you guys enough for everything you've done for me." "Stop it! Stop trying to make me cry!" David shouted dramatically, making the room laugh. "It's time for cake anyway!" Beatz hollered above the laughter.

The rest of the evening was spent eating cake, opening presents, most of which were gag gifts, and making jokes at Kurt's expense. When curfew hit, Santana and Quinn went home and the boys went back to their dorms.

Kurt called his dad and told him that he would be home the next day, using the excuse that he was too tired to drive all the way to Lima. Burt told him it was fine, wished him happy birthday again, and promised to have a special meal for him that following day. As soon as Burt hung up with Kurt, he looked

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up at Cooper with a questioning glance. The two men were having a late dinner together at Breadstix to discuss their summer plans for the boys and Burt was eager to ask Cooper about his son.

"Kurt too tired to drive home?" Cooper asked as he sipped on his drink.

"Yeah. The boys threw him a surprise birthday party. I'm sure he's just about ready to strangle them all." Burt joked. "Hey Cooper, can I ask you a question concerning my son?"

"Of course." Cooper replied.

"I'm sure he's talked with Blaine about what happened to him at McKinley and I know Blaine shares a lot with you. So, I guess I was just wondering if Blaine's told you anything." Burt said nervously.

Cooper sat back in his seat and nodded. "Yes, Blaine has told me some things. In fact, Kurt's told me everything."

"He has?" Burt asked, both surprised and hurt that Kurt hadn't shared the details with him.

"He has." Cooper nodded. "I'm sure he didn't want to, but when my father decided to pay Blaine a visit at school, Kurt and a few other boys talked about what happened to them in order to get Blaine to open up."

"I see." Burt nodded.

"I take it Kurt hasn't given you the details?" Cooper asked softly.

"No, he hasn't." Burt sighed. "Well, he gave me some bullshit story about that Karofsky kid giving him a hard time but I gotta be honest with you, I don't believe it for a second. I know my son. I raised him to be a strong man and I refuse to believe that all that happened was simple taunting."

Cooper took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. It was much more than simple taunting."

"How bad, Cooper? You don't have to tell me everything. I don't want you to break Kurt's trust but...how bad was it? Really?" Burt asked desperately.

Cooper really didn't want to be the one to tell Burt that his son was raped in school. But the look of desperation and fear in Burt's eyes made him tell him some sort of truth. "Kurt was sexually assaulted."

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"HE WHAT?!" Burt bellowed.

"I can't tell you the details, but that Dave boy really messed him up." Cooper said apologetically. "I'll kill him! I don't care that he's just a kid! He touched my son! I'll kill him!" Burt rambled angrily. "Burt, you need to calm down." Cooper said softly.

"HOW COULD I POSSIBLY CALM DOWN?!"

Cooper reached over the table and grabbed Burt's hands in his own. "This is why Kurt hasn't told you anything. He's scared that you're going to have another heart attack and if you don't calm down, you just might."

Burt took deep shaky breaths to calm himself, all the while thinking of ways that he could commit murder without getting caught. "When you say, sexually assaulted, what exactly do you mean?"

Cooper shook his head. "Talk with Kurt when he gets home tomorrow. You need to hear it from him." Cooper replied.

"Just...tell me he's ok, Cooper. Tell me that whatever that monster did to my son didn't ruin him." Burt pleaded.

"Now you know it didn't. If anything it made him stronger. Sending him to Dalton when you did was a smart choice." Cooper sighed.

"Does Finn know?" Burt asked.

"Possibly. I'm not entirely sure." Cooper shrugged. "Come on. Let's get out of here and go for a walk. That way you can calm down a bit more. Sound good?"

"Fine." Burt grumbled. He didn't want to go for a walk. He didn't want to calm down. He wanted to force Cooper to tell him exactly what he knew. But he didn't. He knew that Cooper was right. He needed to take a breather before he landed in the hospital again. As it was his heart hurt from the mere thought of what horrendous torture Kurt was put through. He knew one thing for sure though. Screw waiting until school

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was over to talk. Tomorrow afternoon, they were going to go for a drive and Kurt was going to tell him exactly what happened whether he wanted to or not.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

The End is Only the Beginning

"Sit." Burt instructed, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

Kurt cautiously sat in the chair, unsure of what was going on. As soon as he walked through the door that Sunday morning, his dad pulled him into his office to talk. Burt was using his Papa Bear Hummel voice which Kurt knew meant he was in trouble, though he had no idea what for. Burt took the seat across from his son, doing his best to contain his anger. He had talked with Finn the night before after his dinner with Cooper and now had a pretty good idea of exactly what happened to his son. But he needed to hear it from Kurt.

"I'm going to get straight to the point, son." Burt started. "I talked with Cooper, I talked with Finn, and now, I want you tell me."

Kurt blanched. Was his dad really saying what he thought he was? "What?" he stammered.

"Don't act like you have no idea what I'm talking about, Kurt." Burt said firmly. "I know what happened,

what really happened, and you are going to tell me everything right now. From beginning to end." "But Dad, your heart! I don't-"

"My heart is fine, Kurt. Tell me. Now."

Kurt looked down at his hands, wringing them nervously. As much as he didn't want to delve into the details, he knew there was no way out of telling his father the truth. Kurt took a shuddering breath and glanced up at his dad, unshed tears already filling his eyes.

"It started at the beginning of sophomore year."

Burt listened intently as Kurt told him everything from the first kiss to the horrific moments in the janitor's closest. Kurt also told him about the New Directions plan to get Karofsky back and how the Warblers stepped in. The more he told his dad, the harder it was for him to keep level headed. He hadn't thought about what happened in months. His memories hadn't taunted him in so long that he had actually

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forgotten how painful it all was. By the time Kurt was done telling his story, both he and Burt were in tears.

"I'm so sorry, Dad." Kurt cried into his father's shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was just so scared."

Burt hugged his son tighter as his own set of tears fell. "Stop apologizing, son. You did nothing wrong." Burt couldn't be angry with his son. He understood why Kurt hadn't told him and while he wished that he had known what happened sooner, he couldn't hold it against Kurt. "I'm sorry for not seeing the signs sooner. I should've known that something was wrong. Maybe if I had-"

"No, Dad!" Kurt said quickly, backing away from the hug. "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself. No one could've known how truly bad it was because I didn't let them."

"Kurt, you were raped, in school! That's not right!" Burt said angrily. "I'm going up there first thing tomorrow and-"

"And what, Dad?" Kurt interrupted. "There's no proof that it happened and Karofsky's gone. Yelling at Figgins will do no good."

"Kurt-"

"Dad, please! This is another reason why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd go up to the school and try and get justice for me but there's no point. It's not worth the heartache." Kurt implored.

"Of course it is!" Burt shouted. "Kurt, you are worth the heartache. You are worth so much more!"

"I know that Dad but please, please let this go." Kurt begged. "It's done and over with. It happened and I've moved on. I'm ok now but if you dredge this all up I won't be."

Burt looked at his son, the desperation for him to let it go evident on Kurt's face. With a reluctant sigh, Burt nodded. "Fine. But you and I are going to see this doctor at Dalton. You said he checked you out and everything was ok? Well, I want to talk to him and make sure that everything really is ok. Understood?"

"Yes, of course." Kurt nodded. "Thank you, Dad."

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"Sure thing, son." Burt replied, giving Kurt a tight hug. "Come on. Let's go eat some lunch and then I'll take you to school."

Kurt nodded and sighed, and headed towards the door. "Dad, how much trouble is Finn in?" "Oh, he is in deep shit." Burt replied seriously.

"Don't be too hard on him, please?"

"No can do, Bud. What he and your friends did was not only dangerous, it was illegal, and you better believe that I will be contacting their parents." Burt said as they walked past Finn who had been lingering in the hallway. Kurt sent Finn an apologetic look but Finn shrugged it off. He wasn't mad at Kurt for telling his dad everything. He knew what they had done would end up catching up with them. If anything, he was grateful that it was finally all out on the open. He would have to text the New Directions and tell them the jig was up before Burt and his mom took his cell phone away. He suddenly realized that his summer was going to suck, big time.

After a long, awkward talk with Dalton's physician, Burt left satisfied that Kurt's health was intact. As soon as Burt was gone, Kurt hurried up to the dorms to meet Blaine. He had texted Blaine on the drive back to Dalton and filled him in. Blaine then quickly made it back to Dalton in order to be there for Kurt. He knew that Kurt delving into his past once more and telling his father the details would put Kurt in a rough place and he wanted to be there to comfort him. But Blaine didn't find what he'd expected. Instead of tears and cuddles, Kurt instantly pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"Baby, slow down." Blaine said breathlessly as Kurt's lips made their way down his neck.

Kurt looked up, his eyes pleading. "I need you, Blaine. I can't stop thinking about it and I just...I need you. I

need to feel you. I'm ready. I've been ready. Please, Blaine. Take me."

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked gently, though his voice was laced with desire.

Kurt nodded frantically, his hands pulling at Blaine's collar in desperation. They had talked enough about it for Blaine to know what Kurt wanted, needed even. Kurt didn't want the slow love-making for his first time bottoming. He didn't want Blaine to be sweet and caring. He wanted Blaine to dominate him. He

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wanted Blaine to take total control of his body. At first he thought it was because, like Sebastian had told him, he was turned on by the idea of BDSM. As time went on and Kurt thought about it though, he realized the real reason was because he needed Blaine, the one person he trusted most, to take away his control. He knew Blaine would take care of him. He knew Blaine would be attentive to his needs. He didn't fear Blaine the way he had Karofsky and he needed to be shown that love controlled all else.

With one more tug of Blaine's shirt, the air around them shifted. Blaine's fingers dug into Kurt's waist possessively as he pinned Kurt against the door. Kurt gasped, an entirely new kind of arousal coursing through him. Blaine wasted no time, attaching his lips to the spot on Kurt's neck that never ceased to turn Kurt into a mumbling mess. Kurt threw his head back against the door, biting his lower lip to prevent from moaning out too loud. As Blaine's tongue lapped Kurt's skin, creating a hickey Kurt was sure to kill him for later, his hands roamed down Kurt's thighs roughly.

"Blaine." Kurt whimpered. "Bed."

Blaine quickly obliged. In one swift motion, Blaine pulled Kurt away from the door and tossed him on the bed. He looked Kurt up and down, an almost predatory look in his eyes, sending shivers down Kurt's spine.

"Off." Blaine demanded as he unbuttoned his shirt.

Kurt literally shivered from anticipation and arousal. He quickly discarded his clothes, his eyes locked with Blaine. Kurt bit his lip, stroking himself as his eyes scanned his boyfriend's now naked body. Blaine slapped Kurt's hand away though, taking Kurt's length firmly in his grasp.

"Nu, uh gorgeous. That's my job." Blaine said, his voice dripping with seduction.

Kurt whined, unable to control himself. He loved it when Blaine's voice went low and gritty. Blaine settled his body in-between Kurt's legs, which naturally wrapped around Blaine's torso.

"So sexy." Blaine murmured against Kurt's skin as he kissed down Kurt's neck. "So beautiful." Kurt squirmed under Blaine's touch. He was never one for patience and Blaine loved to tease.

Blaine slotted their cocks together, both moaning from the contact, before placing his hands on Kurt's hips possessively. He continued to lick and nip Kurt's chest, reveling in the breathy, needy moans that escaped Kurt's lips. Kurt wanted desperately to beg for more. His fingers gripped the bed sheets, his body writhing

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uncontrollably as his boyfriend teased him. But he wouldn't ask for more. He wouldn't say a single word. He needed Blaine to do whatever he saw fit, no matter how long it took.

It didn't take much longer for Blaine to finally stop teasing though. The whimpers Kurt emanated were driving him wild and he was about ready to explode. Blaine sat back on his legs, letting his eyes roam down Kurt's lithe body.

"Turn over." Blaine all but growled.

An eager whimper escaped Kurt's lips as he untangled his legs and turned onto his stomach. As Blaine reached underneath the bed for the lube, Kurt grabbed their pillows, placing them underneath his stomach. He could feel Blaine shift around behind him, a new sense of excitement setting in. He loved everything about Blaine's cock and the realization that he was going to be filled with it made another needy whine escape his lips.

Blaine chuckled behind him, coating his fingers thoroughly. "You're so sexy like this." Kurt gasped in response as Blaine's finger teased his puckered hole. "So sexy."

"Blaine." Kurt breathed out, lifting his ass instinctively, forcing Blaine's finger inside him. "Oh God." He mewled at the new sensation.

Blaine slowly worked Kurt open despite Kurt's desperate moans. He wanted to make sure that Kurt was fully stretched for him, not wanting to risk hurting his beloved. As he entered his third finger, brushing up against the bundle of nerves, Kurt's resolve broke.

"Blaine, please!" Kurt begged, no longer willing to let Blaine have full control. "Please, baby. I need you so bad." Blaine ignored him though and continued to work his boyfriend open. "Blaine! I'm going to cum baby! Please! I need you in me now!"

Blaine pulled his fingers out, chuckling softly. Blaine had been waiting for him to beg, craving it. He wanted to make Kurt completely desperate for it. But not because it was hot, which it was, but because he wanted Kurt to need him so badly that any thoughts of Karofsky couldn't possibly pass through his mind. Kurt whined loudly waiting for Blaine. The room was spinning with his desire and he needed release. Blaine coated his throbbing cock, lined it up with Kurt entrance, and slid only his head in before leaning over Kurt's body.

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"You're the most amazing person in the entire world." Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear, holding Kurt's hips still so that Kurt couldn't force himself onto Blaine's cock. "You're beautiful and powerful," Blaine said, leaving feathery kisses on the back of Kurt's neck. "And you're mine. All mine."

"Yes! Yours! All yours!" Kurt panted desperately.

Blaine finally slid inside Kurt, a deep guttural moan escaping his lips. "God you feel good." "Good. So good." Kurt said in a whisper.

Blaine pulled out slowly and thrust back in with more fervor. It didn't take long for them to find a steady rhythm. The closer they got to falling off the edge, the harder Blaine thrust in. With one final hard thrust, hitting the nerve bundle perfectly, Kurt threw his head back, moaning Blaine's name as he came. Blaine came right after, his fingers digging into Kurt's skin, no doubt leaving marks. As Kurt's body became lax, Blaine slowly pulled out before resting his body on top of Kurt's.

They laid there for a moment as they came down from their orgasm high. When Kurt finally caught his breath, he started laughing. "That was...just perfect." Kurt breathed out. "You're perfect."

Blaine kissed the side of Kurt's neck with a smile. "You're perfect. I love you."

Kurt turned his head, catching Blaine's lips in a sweet kiss. "I love you." he whispered against Blaine's lips. They kissed languidly for only a moment before getting up to shower together. What a perfect way to end such a stressful day.

The final two weeks of school flew by and before they knew it, it was Graduation. Many of the underclassmen cried throughout the ceremony. They were proud of their oldest brothers for making it to such an important event in their lives but they were also sad to see them go. It was a bittersweet ending but they all knew that they couldn't stay hidden inside the walls of Dalton forever. They too would be graduating one day and they hoped to be as strong as their senior brothers.

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After Wes delivered a heart wrenching Valedictorian speech, before the diplomas were handed out, Blaine

took the stage.

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"Good morning, everyone." Blaine greeted the crowd, taking a seat on a stool, his guitar hanging off the side. "I was asked to sing a song that represented what it means to be a Dalton boy, and although it took me a while to decide on a song that fit, I did find one which I truly feel speaks to us all. Many of us haven't had the easiest of times. We've got scars that are so deep that we feel like we'll never be able to heal and move on. But the scars and the pain are what make us who we are, it's what makes us strong. I know that if it wasn't for my own scars, I never would've learned how to fight back, and I know it's the same for many of you."

"These walls, our teachers and our friends, they kept us safe when we were in danger, be it from the outside world or ourselves. They helped make us strong and gave us the tools to keep fighting. Out there, in the real world, we will be tested by obstacles that will try to break the strength Dalton has provided, but we will fight back, and we will win. Never forget the things we've learned here, about ourselves, about each other. It's a part of us, it's what makes us who we are, and as long as we hold on to that strength, nothing will tear us down." Blaine closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before singing out to his brothers.

Days like this,

I want to drive away

Pack my bags

And watch your shadow fade You chewed me up

And spit me out

Like I was poison in your mouth

You took my light You drained me down But that was then And this is now

Now look at me,

This is the part of me

That you're never gonna ever take away from me, no This is the part of me

That you're never gonna ever take away from me, no

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Throw your sticks and your stones, Throw your bombs and your blows, But you're not gonna break my soul

This is the part of me

That you're never gonna ever take away from me, no

Blaine sang with such passion that by the time he finished the song, there wasn't a dry eye in the auditorium. The dean met him center stage and shook his hand proudly. Blaine smiled and then looked out into the audience, out to Kurt and his mother and Cooper. He knew that no matter what happened, no one could take them or Dalton away from him.

The Warblers gathered in the rehearsal hall one last time right after the ceremony to say goodbye. As the newly graduated seniors made summer plans with the underclassmen, Kurt pulled Sebastian away, leading him to the secluded corner in the library where their friendship truly began.

"I have something for you." Kurt said softly, pulling out a square velvet box from his blazer. "I wanted to take you on a best friend date and give you this but these past few weeks have been so hectic that I never got the chance."

Sebastian took the box from Kurt, a small smile on his lips, and opened it. Inside was a red and navy blue stainless steel bangle from the Love and Pride store. Engraved inside the bangle was a simple message that meant the world to both of them.

K S Kindred Spirits

"It's beautiful, Kurt. Thank you." Sebastian said with a teasing smirk. "I got you something too, to show you how much I've appreciated your friendship and if this doesn't prove we're best friends then nothing will."

Kurt watched Sebastian in confusion as he pulled out a square velvet box from his blazer. Kurt raised a curious brow as Sebastian handed it to him. Inside was a plain stainless steel bangle from the Love and Pride store, its logo marking the front, and on the inside had the same message engraved. Kurt let out a choked laugh before throwing himself into Sebastian's arms.

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\- 467 -

"I'm going to miss you so much next year." Kurt cried. Sebastian meant so much to him, almost as much as Blaine, and the realization of not having him around on a daily basis was almost too much to bare.

Sebastian shushed Kurt, gently stroking his hair. "I know. I'm going to miss you too."

"Promise me we'll Skype all the time." Kurt said as they parted. "Promise me we'll still be best friends even though you're in New York and I'm stuck here."

"I promise." Sebastian replied with an amused grin.

"I'm serious, Bastian." Kurt said firmly. "I swear to God if you find yourself another fabulous gay best friend I will-"

"I won't find another fabulous gay best friend because there is no one as fabulous as you." Sebastian assured him. "We will be 80 years old and you will still be my number one fabulous gay."

"You swear it?" Kurt asked.

"I swear it." Sebastian said with a nod. "Will you stop crying now? We're spending two weeks in Paris together in like a month, Kurt. You're going to see me again."

"I know." Kurt grumbled as he wiped his tears away. "But we'll never have this again." He said sadly, gesturing to their surroundings.

"We'll always have this." Sebastian said. "Who knows, maybe next year you'll be able to take someone under your wing and this spot could be as special for you two as it has been for us."

Kurt shook his head fervently. "No way. This spot will only ever be the Kurtbastian spot."

Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. "Beatz really needs to stop coming up with combined names."

"Hey, I like Kurtbastian." Kurt laughed as they stood up and made their way out of the library. "It's better than what he calls Trent and Danny."

\- 468 -

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Sebastian snorted and nodded. Sebastian could still see Trent throwing himself across the table to attack Beatz the day he'd dubbed them Tranny. Sebastian had laughed so hard that day that he nearly choked on his food. He was going to miss his brothers' shenanigans.

It was a week after school let out that Blaine, Cooper, and Julianne went back to the Anderson home. The plan was for Blaine and Julianne to pack whatever they needed and then wait for Nathan to come home. Nathan always came home for a couple of hours at lunch time so they went early in the morning, packed and loaded the cars, then waited in his office.

Nathan drove into the driveway just past one in the afternoon, immediately noticing his wife's car and Cooper's car parked on the street. He scoffed when he saw that both cars were filled with boxes. If Julianne truly believed that she was going to get any of his hard earned money than she was dumber than he thought. He wasted no time walking into the house and straight over to his office where he was sure they were waiting for him. He was shocked though to see that Blaine was with them too. Cooper was sitting at his desk, a smug grin in place, while Julianne and Blaine stood behind him.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" Nathan glowered, his eyes filled with rage.

"Hello, Dad." Cooper said politely. "Why don't you take a seat so we can talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about!" Nathan snapped. "This is my office, my house, and I want you out!"

"Now Dad, let's at least try and be civil." Blaine said feigning confidence that hid his overwhelming nerves.

"Don't you dare speak to me you fucking queer!" Nathan bellowed. "Get out or I'll call the cops for trespassing!"

"Oh yes, please call the police." Cooper encouraged. "In fact, call your employer too. That way they're all here together to hear how you've been stealing from the company."

Nathan's eyes went wide at the accusation. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Blaine." Cooper said, raising his hand above his head. Blaine handed Cooper a manila envelope before crossing his arms and staring at his father somberly. Cooper opened the envelope and removed its

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\- 469 -

contents. "Let's see here, you have approximately 2.3 million dollars in a combined total of 6 different off shore accounts. I believe these are the bank statements." Cooper said, placing the first few sheets of paper down. "On these next few pages, it shows how you've been skimming money off the top for over 20 years."

Cooper set the sheets down on top of the first. "And lastly, we have pictures of you and your boss' wife having a lovely, private dinner, on her husband's yacht this past summer." Cooper placed the pictures down facing up. "Now the pictures were the hardest to come by since it was a while back but fortunately that dock has a very good security system and I hired a very good P.I." Nathan snatched the pictures and sheets of paper off his desk, looking at them incredulously before angrily ripping them apart. "Those were your copies by the way. I have the original documents at home." Cooper sat back in his father's chair, reveling in the undeniable fear in Nathan's eyes.

"What do you want?" Nathan asked through gritted teeth.

Cooper smiled victoriously, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. "Have a seat. There's a lot we need to discuss."

Later that night, just as the Hudmel's were settling in for the night, there was a knock on the front door. Burt paused halfway up the stairs, and turned back around to answer the door.

He opened the front door to find an exhausted looking Blaine standing on his porch, an overnight bag hung on his shoulder "Blaine? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" Burt asked, ushering him in, immediately concerned.

"Yes, Burt, everything's ok." Blaine said with a long sigh. "I'm sorry for dropping in so late. I just needed to see Kurt."

"No need to apologize. I'm just glad you're ok." Burt said warmly. "You staying the night?" "If that's alright." Blaine said sheepishly.

"Yes, of course. Is Kurt expecting you?" Burt wondered.

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\- 470 -

Blaine shook his head. "No. I haven't had the chance to talk much with him today. We went to see my dad this afternoon and it's been a really long day and I just..."

"Needed to see Kurt?" Burt supplied.

"Yeah."

"Well go on up. I think he's still in Finn's room watching The Avengers again." Burt told him. "Thanks, Burt." Blaine smiled. "And not just for letting me stay, for everything."

Burt smiled gently, pulling Blaine in for hug. "No need to thank me son. You're always welcome here." Blaine held onto Burt tightly, reveling in the warmth and protection that only came from a father, before releasing the hug and heading upstairs.

Just as Loki threw Tony Stark through the glass window, Blaine knocked on Finn's open door. "Surprise."

"Blaine?" Kurt said in surprise, quickly getting up and running into his boyfriend's arms. "What's going on? What are you doing here?"

"Long day." Blaine shrugged. "I needed to see you. Your dad said I can stay the night."

"Are you ok?" Kurt asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Blaine said with a small smile.

"We're going to bed, Finn. Night." Kurt grabbed hold of Blaine's hand and hurried him to his room, not waiting for Finn to say goodnight back.

Once they were alone in Kurt's room, Kurt quickly surveyed Blaine for any physical signs of something being wrong. "Well, you look ok. Tired, but ok." Kurt concluded.

"I told you I was alright." Blaine said with a small chuckle. "We went to see my dad today but could I maybe shower before I tell you?"

\- 471 -

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"Of course." Kurt said, kissing Blaine's forehead lightly. "I'll be waiting right here for you." Blaine smiled gratefully, giving Kurt a quick kiss before leaving the bedroom.

Twenty minutes later, a significantly more relaxed Blaine came shuffling back into Kurt's room. He dropped his bag on the floor and plopped down on the bed next to Kurt, his face buried into the pillow. Kurt chuckled softly and laid down, reaching over to run his fingers through Blaine's hair. Blaine hummed in contentment.

"You sure you're alright?" Kurt asked softly.

Blaine sighed and nodded, turning his body to face Kurt, draping an arm around Kurt's torso. "Yeah, I'm good."

"So, what happened?" Kurt asked cautiously.

"Cliff notes version is my mother is getting a very generous divorce settlement, he's paying for Dalton next year and for my college, and he is never to speak to us again." Blaine said with a satisfied grin.

"Wow. How'd you manage that?" Kurt questioned.

"Let's just say that daddy dearest has some very big skeletons in his closet he'd rather keep hidden." Blaine laughed. "Honestly, I'd rather expose him for the fraud that he is and see him rot in jail, but this is what Coop and Mom want, so I went along with it." Kurt nodded, snuggling closer to Blaine and kissing him gently. "I'm glad it's over though."

"Me too." Kurt smiled.

"Can we go to sleep now? We spent all day moving out of my grandmother's house and into Uncle Peter's. Between the emotional roller-coaster with my dad and moving, I'm exhausted." Blaine yawned.

Kurt snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around Blaine. Blaine placed his head on Kurt's chest and intertwined their legs. "Goodnight. I love you." Kurt whispered, kissing the top of Blaine's head.

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\- 472 -

"Night. Love you too." Blaine mumbled as sleep began to take over. Kurt played with Blaine's curls for a while, humming softly as the boy he loved slept. It had been one hell of a year but somehow they got through it all together. And together, they would make it through anything.

\- 473 -

Contents

EPILOGUE

Ten years later

"Guys! It's starting!" Sebastian shouted out, raising the volume on the TV.

Thad, Nick, and Beatz rushed into the living room, plopping down on the couch eagerly as the red carpet started. They watched as celebrity after celebrity walked down and were interviewed, keeping their eyes out for their friends. They still couldn't believe it. They couldn't get over the fact that Blaine had become a huge movie star. After Blaine's leading role in the Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, his acting career skyrocketed. He still preferred performing on stage, but Hollywood had snatched him up and refused to give him back.

"There they are!" Nick exclaimed as Kurt and Blaine appeared on the TV. "Man, they look good!" Both men were wearing one of a kind, Kurt Anderson-Hummel originals. Kurt's fashion design career was just as successful as Blaine's acting career, if not more so. Men and women from all over the world paid top dollar to wear his clothing and only a lucky few were able to say that the suit or dress they wore were custom made for them.

"We are now joined by Hollywood's hottest couple, the Anderson-Hummel's." The interviewer said as Kurt and Blaine stepped up. "Blaine, Kurt, it's a pleasure to see you guys."

"It's a pleasure to be seen." Kurt preened, showing off his tux.

"Well dressed like that I can't blame you." The interviewer said. "You're both wearing K.A.H. originals, yes?"

"Of course." Blaine answered. "As if he'd let us leave the house wearing anything else." He joked.

Kurt playfully smacked Blaine's arm and Blaine leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "You two are adorable." The interviewer gushed. "Now Blaine, you're up for Best Male Actor tonight. How does that feel?"

"It's surreal. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that I would be here." Blaine replied modestly. "You're up against some big names; do you think you'll win?"

\- 474 -

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"I have no idea." Blaine laughed. "To be nominated for an Oscar is a huge honor, but to actually win? I don't know what I'd do with myself."

"What about you, Kurt? Do you think he'll win Best Actor tonight?"

"I think he has a real shot but then again, I'm biased so I'm not sure how much my opinion matters." Kurt said

with a small laugh.

"Don't tell the other nominees I said this but I think he's got a real shot too." The interviewer said conspiringly. Kurt laughed and Blaine blushed bashfully. "And hey look at it this way, even if you don't win, you'll most certainly be the best dressed."

"That's what I said!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Well, good luck to you, Blaine." The interviewer said as she kissed his cheek. "We'll see you in there."

The ex-Warblers watched the Oscars anxiously, pointing Kurt and Blaine out any time they were on screen. When it came to the Best Male Actor category and they announced the nominees, Beatz began to panic.

"Oh man, he's not going to win. There's no way he's going to win." "Dude, shut up!" Sebastian snapped.

"He's going up against Ryan Gosling and Leonardo DiCaprio! There's no way he's going to win!" Beatz argued.

"I swear to God Beatz-"

Sebastian didn't get to finish his threat though because the presenter ripped open the envelope to announce the winner.

"And the Oscar for Best Male Actor Blaine Anderson-Hummel!" - 475 -

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	2. Willllik

A Lucky Man's Charm

by StarGleekBelle

Kurt dreaded turning of age, convinced that his soulmate would be someone he loathed. But when his birthday arrives and his soulmate is none other than international rockstar Blaine Anderson, his life takes a turn he never expected but always dreamed about. (Famous Warblers/Soulmate AU) (Klaine w/ a side of Huntbastian) ABANDONED

Rated: Fiction M - English - Romance/Friendship - [Kurt H., Blaine A.] [Sebastian S., Hunter C.] - Chapters: 37 - Words: 266,712 - Reviews: 2,254 - Favs: 1,265 - Follows: 1,875 - Updated: 3/2/2016 - Published: 5/26/2013 - id: 9330412

URL: https/s/9330412

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1\. Prologue

2\. Divine Will

3\. Back to the Start

4\. Where My Heart Belongs

5\. Living the Teenage Dream

6\. Pocket Full of Soul

7\. Old Promises

8\. Can't Deny You

9\. Destined to Be

10\. Awakening of the Soul

11\. Getting to Know You

12\. Stars Align

13\. As It Begins To Unravel

14\. This Isn't Goodbye

15\. Shifting

16\. Thanksgiving

17\. We Only Part to Meet Again

18\. Everything's In Line

19\. Welcome to LA

20\. Keep Holding On

21\. What's Done Is Done

22\. Christmas With The Hudmels

23\. We Are Eternal

24\. I'm losing to you, Baby I'm no match

25\. Happy New Year

26\. Warbler Family

27\. Back In Ohio

28\. Settling Back In

29\. Going Home

30\. Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue

31\. Time Apart

32\. Breaking Free

33\. I'd Give It All Up

34\. London Town

35\. Three Days to Fall

36\. Rebuilding

37\. NOT AN UPDATE! AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Prologue

A/N: Am I really starting something new? Again? Yes, yes I am. Hello lovely readers, I introduce you to my last new fic. After this one, I will no longer be starting any new stories. I will complete the ones I have, some as full fics, some will end with one final chapter that sums the fic up, but this is officially my last new story. I have several chapters already complete and the entire fic is completely planned out so I should be able to keep up with the updates. The plan as of now is an update a week.

Warning: This fic will have some femslash at one point. Nothing major but it will happen. Between whom? You'll just have to wait and see.

Big props to MuseInMe3 for betaing and BritBoJangles for reading this over and offering her advice. If you aren't reading any of their fic, GO NOW! They're all amazing!

With that said, here is the prologue.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The first recorded occurrence of soulmates dates back to the middle ages when the name of a servant boy appeared on the left wrist of Princess Amelia, the youngest daughter of King Henry IV, shortly after her 18 th birthday. No one but Amelia and her beloved Nathaniel, whose own wrist had Amelia's name, knew how it happened. No one understood the connection between the unlikely pair but soon after, every young man and woman experienced the magic on their 18 th birthday. Many said it was witchcraft, accusing Nathaniel of making a deal with the devil in order to be with the princess who was betrothed. What they didn't know was that there was no witch, no deal, but simply a wish between young lovers at a secluded lake that was said to hold the power of fairies and nymphs. Amelia and Nathaniel were beheaded under the king's order, believing that the evil magic would die with them. The magic increased tenfold by their death, however, and no one would ever be able to escape the truth behind the red string that bound their love.

Excerpt from: History of the Bond

Kurt remembered the exact moment he saw him. He remembered being frozen in his spot, mesmerized by the man who seemed to be singing directly to him. He remembered begging his dad for money to throw in the street performer's open guitar case as he serenaded the crowd for tips. He remembered how nervous he had been walking up to the man, the money he snatched from his father shaking in his hand. Burt had tried giving him a ten, but Kurt grabbed a fifty and scurried off before his father could even protest. The man had removed his bright yellow sunglasses, placing them on his head and smiling appreciatively at the people who dropped change in his guitar case. Kurt waited patiently for the small crowd to disperse before shyly walking up to the singer.

"Hey there," the young man greeted with a smile that made Kurt's heart melt. "Did you enjoy the show?"

Kurt nodded eagerly. "I did. You're amazing," the singer smiled bashfully at the compliment. "This is for you," Kurt said as he tried handing the young man the money.

The singer hesitated for a moment. "I can't take that. It's too much," he said regretfully, ignoring the sudden pang of hunger in his stomach at the thought of how much food that money could buy.

Kurt wasn't having it though. "No, it isn't!" he said quickly. "It's not enough. You deserve so much more. You're an incredible singer. Please, take it," he said, practically shoving the fifty into the singer's hands.

The young man smiled softly, taking the bill and slipping it into his pocket. "Thank you. And since you are my biggest tipper tonight, I will sing something just for you," Kurt's eyes widened in excitement. "What's your favorite Disney movie?"

"Mulan!" Kurt answered instantly.

The singer smiled, nodding approvingly. "Awesome. That's one of my fave's too," he said with a wink before starting his rendition of I'll Make A Man Out of You .

The young man was discovered not long after his encounter with Kurt and soon, he, alongside four others, started a band called The Warblers. It didn't take long for The Warblers to make it in the music industry and gain the fame that many artists could only dream of. Eleven year old Kurt had fallen in love with eighteen year old Blaine Anderson that night and six years later, he was Blaine's biggest fan. He prayed that one day he would be able to meet Blaine again, remind him of that day and thank him for the years of soulful music that helped him through the darkest moments in his life.

The bell rang, indicating the end of home room and bringing Kurt back from his memories. It was the first day of senior year and he was already bored out of his mind. With a long sigh, Kurt grabbed the notebook he'd been doodling his and Blaine's name inside a heart in, slipped it into his messenger bag and headed out of the classroom. A few students waved to him as he walked past them in the hallway, some sent him disgusted glares, but most simply stepped out of the way and kept to themselves, not wanting to risk the wrath of the Cheerio. Kurt ignored them all and walked to his locker, keeping an eye out for his tormentor.

Being on the Cheerios gave him enough status at McKinley to keep him safe from most of the bullies and his uniform saved him from being slushied. But it didn't prevent Dave Karofsky from making his life hell. Kurt pushed all thoughts of Karofsky away and opened his locker, smiling to himself as his eyes instantly went to the picture of Blaine and The Warblers. No matter what high school threw at him, no matter how hard life became, he could always count on Blaine's velvety smooth vocals to set him at ease.

"If one more person asks me if it's true," Santana's voice rang out from a few feet away. Kurt turned away from the picture to look at his best friend. "I will ends them. Te lo juro."

Kurt smiled sympathetically before turning back to his locker. Brittany had turned of age during the summer and everyone was shocked when the name on her wrist was Samuel E. Evans, not Santana M. Lopez. The night they found out had been torture for Santana. In all the years of their friendship, not once had he seen her cry as much as she did that night.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter," Santana grumbled as she leaned on the locker next to Kurt's. "As long as she's happy, I'm happy."

"You keep saying that," Kurt said with a raised brow.

"Yeah well, maybe if I say it enough times it'll be true," Santana mumbled. "Have you seen Quinn yet?"

"Oh, I've seen her," Kurt said as he switched out his books. "I cannot believe she ruined her beautiful hair. We need to do some major recon and get her back."

Santana shrugged, her eyes darting around the hall for any signs of Karofsky, all the while praying she didn't get a glimpse of Brittany and Sam. "I kinda like it. It looks hot." Kurt sent her a look which meant he clearly thought she was delusional but it had no effect on her.

Kurt felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and quickly pulled it out, his eyes widening when he saw the Twitter notification. "Oh. My. God."

Blaine walked into the studio alongside Jeff, Nick, Wes, and David, eager to hear the news from their manager. They finished filming the first music video for their third album the day before and there was talk of a tour but nothing had been confirmed yet. Blaine loved going out on the road, performing in as many cities as they could. At every concert, every single meet and greet, Blaine hoped that he would show up. He prayed that his soulmate would be there, waiting for him amongst the crowd. But he never was. No matter how many people The Warblers had the opportunity to meet, Blaine's soulmate had yet to be one of them. But he still had hope. He still had faith that he would meet his beloved. It was simply a matter of when.

"How long do you think we'll be gone this time?" David asked worriedly as they entered their manager's empty office. David's soulmate and wife, Katherine, was four months pregnant and while he was excited for the possible tour, he didn't want to miss the birth of his child.

"It doesn't matter how long we're gone for. You are not going to miss Katherine giving birth," Wes assured him. "If that means you leaving in the middle of the tour, hell the middle of a concert, then so be it. The fans will understand."

"Wes is right, David," Blaine said with a soft smile. "Nothing and no one is going to keep you away from the birth of your child. We'll make sure of it."

David smiled at his bandmates, grateful for their support. "Thanks, guys." Just then, a loud smacking caught their attention. "Seriously? You two can't go five minutes without making out."

Jeff and Nick reluctantly pulled apart, Jeff grinning wickedly while Nick blushed. "What can we say? Our love is too strong to contain," Jeff said with a wink.

"Well try and contain it," Wes scolded, though he was smirking. "Not all of us are lucky enough to have our soulmates with us at all times."

Jeff stuck his tongue out at Wes, taking a seat in one of the chairs and bringing Nick to sit on his lap. "Party pooper."

Blaine rolled his eyes at his friends, his right hand subtly fidgeting with the brown leather cuff on his left wrist. Part of him felt like he was getting ahead of himself, but Blaine had a strong feeling that he would be meeting his soulmate very soon. The thought alone made him anxious and giddy.

"My boys!" The Warblers' manager Eric, a tall, lean man with blond hair, exclaimed when he walked into his office. "I have some very good news!"

"Has the tour been confirmed?" Blaine asked excitedly. Eric was the man that discovered him, the man that put faith in him and his friends when it mattered most, and the man that, in a lot of ways, was more of a father to Blaine than his own. Band manager was his official title but he meant much more than that to the five men. He always put the needs of the band first and if Eric was excited about the news then Blaine knew it had to be good.

Eric nodded with a smile. "Yes, it has. But that's not all. We start a six month tour in October, the album will be released a month earlier, and we will have a two month break from January to February in order to welcome David's bundle of joy with no hassle."

"YES!" David shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "You are the best manager ever!" he said, pulling Eric in for a hug.

"I couldn't let you miss the birth," Eric chuckled as David embraced him tightly. "It's still going to suck when the tour picks back up and we have to leave, but you should be able to at least have a few weeks with Katherine and the baby."

"I couldn't ask for more," David said gratefully as he stepped out of the hug. "Seriously, thanks."

"Where's our first stop?" Nick asked curiously. Eric's smile widened, pulling a sheet of paper out of the folder in his hand and handing it to the guys.

"What? What is it?" Santana asked, peering over Kurt's phone to catch a glimpse. Kurt turned the phone to her, his heart racing.

WarblerBlaineAnderson : The Warblers are officially going on tour! First stop will be Columbus, OH. Tour dates will be posted soon. #CantWait #WhereItAllBegan

A/N: So, whaddya think? Next chapter will be up next Sunday. :)

Te lo juro means I swear to you.

Divine Will

A/N: I am floored by the response for this. I mean, seriously, you guys kill me. Thank you all so, so much for alerting and reviewing this fic. There aren't enough words to describe how much I truly appreciate every single one of you. You readers give me the courage to finally start on my original work and for that I can only thank you.

Now let's talk about this fic for a moment. In order for this story to work, birthdays and ages had to be changed. Kurt's birthday is October 15th, Blaine's is June 3rd. Kurt is currently 17, Blaine is 24. This chapter finishes setting things up and then the next one time jumps. Timeline wise, it's the beginning of August right now. I think that's all ya need to know for now. Feel free to ask anything and I'll answer what I can without giving too much away.

Since the *at* symbol doesn't work with this site, this is how tweets will be written: Example1: tweet is the user tweeting, Example1: Example2 Here's a tweet is when they've replied. I hope that makes sense. :p

Also, Darren is on tour and I'm swooning with every new picture. How is this man even real? I need it to be June 4th already! I need to see Darren! I don't know what to do with myself! I just have so many feelings!

Ok, I'm done. Enjoy the chapter. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

The bonding process between soulmates is more intimate than the act of sexual intercourse, for when soulmates bond, their souls connect on a different plane of existence. Once the bond begins, the souls travel to a place of purity, the Lands of Mira, and present themselves to each other in the most vulnerable of forms. The Lands of Mira has been said to be the most beautiful of worlds, its magic rippling through the wind as two souls become one. Depending on the souls entering its existence, the Mira will present itself, blessing the souls with a stronger, deeper bond. The Mira is neither a being nor an entity, but a source of energy. It only presents itself to those souls it deems worthy. Few and far between have been lucky enough to receive the Mira's blessing, but those who are, have a love for the ages.

-Excerpt from: What it means to Bond

Blaine's announcement of the upcoming tour put Kurt in such a good mood that when Karofsky walked past him in the hallway and tried to harass him, Kurt simply ignored him as if he hadn't heard a word. He might as well not have. His head was high in the clouds, his heart hammering at the fact that he was finally going to meet, or rather re-meet, his idol. The last time The Warblers went on tour and came to Cleveland, Kurt had been unable to go. Burt was just settling back home from the hospital after a major heart attack and despite telling his son that he was fine, that he could attend the concert with his friends, Kurt couldn't find it in himself to go. So instead he gave his ticket away and let The Warblers' album play on repeat while he helped Carole take care of his father. But this time was different. His father's health was up to par and he felt closer to Blaine now than he did two years ago. Nothing was going to stand in the way of him going to that concert.

Kurt sat down in-between Santana and Tina at the lunch table, greeting his fellow Glee clubbers before opening his brown paper bag and pulling out his sandwich. He listened to them talk about this year being different and how they were going to win Nationals, as long as Finn didn't do something stupid like kiss Rachel in the middle of a performance. Kurt had been so pissed off at Finn that he didn't even bother trying to hold Santana back when she went Lima Heights on him and instead stood just off to the side, murmuring under his breath all the ways he would make Finn pay while wishing that they would let Santana go. Talk of Nationals eventually led to talk of new members, which inevitably led to Quinn's cry for help and Rachel insisting that she knew exactly how to get Quinn back.

"I'm telling you guys, this will work! If we just go talk to her as one unit, I'm sure she'll-"

"She'll what, Yentl?" Santana snapped, her patience wearing thin. She could only take so much of Rachel and she was already way past her limit. "Thank us for saving her from her disastrous life and then sing about it?" she asked sarcastically, waving her hands around mocking jazz hands. "Let's get real here, Quinn is gone and no amount of sappy we support you and we're here for you songs is gonna change that." Rachel huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance. "The only thing any of us will accomplish by trying to sing her back is scare her off even more. Q needs to get a handle on her shit on her own. She'll come back when she's ready."

Kurt nodded in agreement. The last thing they needed to do was try and force Quinn into something she wasn't ready for. But Rachel was never one to back down easily. And she was certainly never one for tact either.

"Just because you don't believe in the power of music doesn't mean Quinn won't," Rachel retorted. "We all understand that things are tough on you right now. But that does not mean that we are going to allow you to ruin the chances of getting Quinn back. It's your fault she's in this mess in the first place."

"Oh hell no dis bitch just didn't," Santana muttered, glancing around the table, everyone wearing the same wide-eyed look.

"Tana," Kurt spoke softly, placing a hand on her knee underneath the table in hopes of keeping her calm.

"It's true," Rachel continued, her snooty tone working on Santana's very last nerve. "You're the one who encouraged her to get a haircut, as if a new hairstyle would fix all her problems. She was on the verge of a mental breakdown and you practically pushed her off the edge yourself. I know you're hurting, seeing Brittany with Sam cannot be easy for you. But that does not mean that you should allow your pain to get in the way of more important things, like getting Quinn back and away from those skanks."

"Rachel," Kurt admonished, the rest of the table going completely quiet. Kurt quickly glanced at Brittany at the end of the table, her head down avoiding eye contact with anyone. Santana sent Rachel a hard glare before abruptly getting up from the table and walking off.

"Yo, that was messed up," Artie said, shaking his head.

"Seriously, Rachel. I know Santana gets under your skin but that wasn't cool," Finn said in disappointment.

"But I was just-"

"You were being cruel," Kurt snapped angrily as he gathered his and Santana's things. "You were being insensitive and once again, making everything about you."

"This isn't about me! This is about Quinn!" Rachel argued.

Kurt stood up, glaring down at Rachel. "No, it isn't. It's about you making sure we have enough members so you can have your chance at all the solos, again. You don't care about anyone but yourself. Stop pretending like you have anyone's best interest at heart. You better watch it or Tana and I will quit too and then you'll really be screwed." Kurt finished grabbing their things and walked out of the cafeteria after Santana.

He found her at her locker reapplying her make-up, her walls completely up. But he wasn't fooled. He could see the hurt and anger behind the faÃ§ade. Without a word, he handed her the books she'd left behind and leaned against the locker next to her. Santana slammed her locker shut and leaned on it, her eyes scanning the halls until she found the person she was looking for.

"Let's go," she said, walking down the hall after Quinn, Kurt close behind.

They followed Quinn into the girls' bathroom, Santana locking the door behind them. Quinn glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes as she went back to the mirror. Kurt and Santana stood on each side of her, their arms crossed in front of their chests.

"I'm not coming back to Glee or the Cheerios so save your breath," Quinn told them as she mussed her hair.

"Quinn, this isn't you," Kurt said, reaching up to touch her hair. "Seriously, what have you done to your hair?" Quinn smirked at the offended look on Kurt's face, pulling out her eyeliner to reapply.

"Come on, Quinn. What is going on with you? Talk to us," Santana pleaded softly, placing a gentle hand on Quinn's shoulder. Quinn ignored her, applied her eyeliner and placed it back in her makeup bag. "You know Rachel's going to try and get you back in Glee, right?"

Quinn scoffed. "She can try all she wants. I'm not coming back," Quinn zipped closed her makeup bag, tossed it inside her purse, and turned around, leaning against the sink. "And I'm not coming back to the Cheerios either. I'm done with all that crap." Kurt and Santana exchanged a worried look but said nothing. They knew when to push and right now wasn't the time. Quinn looked at Santana, her face softening. "How are you holding up?"

Santana shrugged and looked away. "I'm fine," she mumbled.

Quinn glanced at Kurt with a questioning brow, the look on his face clearly stating that she wasn't fine. "You're not," she said, turning her full attention on Santana.

"You're right, I'm not," Santana snapped. "But at least I didn't destroy my body in some ridiculous attempt to pretend I'm ok. At least I'm trying to handle it," she spat before unlocking the bathroom door and storming out.

Kurt sighed deeply, his heart aching for his friends. Senior year was supposed to be their best year and everything was already falling apart. "Come back to the Cheerios, Q. I have a bottle of peroxide at home. We could wash that awful pink out of your hair then we'll stuff our faces with pizza before Sue puts us on some insane diet," he smirked though his eyes were pleading. Santana wasn't at all handling losing Brittany well and Kurt needed reinforcements, he needed Quinn. "Please, Quinn. We need you."

Quinn kept her head down, refusing to meet Kurt's eyes. "You don't need me. Nobody does."

"Quinn-"

"I gotta get to class," Quinn interrupted, walking out of the bathroom before Kurt could stop her.

Kurt turned to the mirror, shaking his head in disappointment. So much for staying on his happy cloud. With a frustrated sigh, he fixed his already perfectly coiffed hair and walked out of the bathroom just as the bell rang. He only made it a few steps though before he was pushed hard, his body slamming into the lockers.

"Watch where you're going, ladyface," Karofsky taunted as he continued down the hall.

Kurt glared at the jock's back, wishing more than anything that he could do something about the Neanderthal once and for all. Even with his social status he couldn't fully escape the torment that came from being gay. He could fight back, he often did. But at the moment, he didn't have it in him. And it was moments like this that he had to remind himself of Blaine, remind himself of Nick and Jeff. From the very beginning of their career, the three men had been open about their sexuality, Jeff and Nick going as far as telling the world that they were soulmates who found each other in high school.

While Blaine was Kurt's favorite member for obvious reasons, The Warblers themselves were Kurt's idols. They followed their dreams and accomplished their goals on their own terms. They never let the media or society decide what was right for them. They never let the naysayers push them around. If they could make it out of Ohio alive then so could Kurt. With a deep breath, Kurt straightened his uniform and walked to class, his head held high.

"Alright boys, you ready?" Eric asked, standing behind the camera. The Warblers' decided to announce the details of their tour and the new album release date by making a video for their fans. Blaine's single tweet early that morning had sent the fans and media into a frenzy and since this was their first world tour, they wanted to do it big.

"We're ready," Wes said with a nod. Wes and Blaine were sitting up front, Jeff, Nick, and David seated a tad higher behind them. Eric nodded, pressed record, and pointed at the boys to start. "Hey, everyone. How's it going?"

"Wes, they can't answer us," David teased with a smirk.

"I know that, David. I was being polite," Wes replied, glancing at David before turning back to the camera. "But since David is right-"

"I usually am," David cut in with a wink.

"And you amazing fans cannot answer us,"

"Technically they could, you know, in the comment section," Blaine said, glancing behind him.

"That's very true," Nick nodded. "We'll have to go back and read the comments, see how they're doing."

"That's an awesome idea," Jeff agreed, kissing Nick on the cheek.

"Guys," Wes scolded, turning towards his friends. "We're trying to make a video here."

"Sorry, Wes. Please continue," Blaine replied with sincerity, though the others were snickering. Eric could only shake his head with amusement.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Wes continued turning back to the camera. "Since you cannot tell us at this very moment how you're all doing, we would like to tell you how we're doing. Which isâ"

"Amazing!" David said with a silly accent.

"Spectacular!" Jeff and Nick shouted.

"Totally awesome!" Blaine said with excitement.

"And why is that gentlemen?" Wes asked.

"Because we're going on our first world tour!" they shouted simultaneously and cheered.

"That's right. The Warblers are coming to you," David flirted, pointing at the camera.

"We're so excited for this tour," Blaine said with a wide smile. "It's going to be bigger, better, and a thousand times more amazing than our last one."

"It sure is. We will be on the road for six months, pouring our hearts and souls onto the stage, just for you," Nick said with a wink.

"But that's not all," Jeff teased. "We just got word that our new album will be released a month earlier than planned!"

"So mark your calendars," David said, making a checkmark in the air. "Because the album drops September 3rd and I'm telling you, it's gon' be epic!"

"Underneath in the info section are the tour dates as well as on our website. Tickets will go on sale this weekend so get ready, cause we are about to blow your minds!" Jeff said dramatically, his hands in his hair.

"We cannot wait to see you all out there," Blaine said with that dreamy smile that made everyone swoon.

"And don't forget to comment below!" David shouted. "Facebook us! Tweet us! Let us know how you're doing!"

"We love you all and we'll see you soon," Wes said.

"Bye," they said simultaneously, waving at the camera before Eric shut it off.

"Do you think the fans will ever get tired of us being dorks?" Wes asked Eric with a smirk.

Eric shook his head. "Never. That's why they love you so much."

Wes nodded and laughed. "True."

"Alright, you guys can head home for the day. I'm going to finish up here and post the video shortly." Eric told them as he walked to his desk.

"Cool. Later man," David said as they started heading out of the office.

"Don't forget you have a photo shoot tomorrow morning!" Eric shouted after them.

"We know," Blaine said with a laugh, closing the office door behind him.

No one knew Kurt better than his father, not even Santana. So when Kurt and Finn got home, Kurt saying hi just a tad too enthusiastically before running upstairs to his room, Burt knew something was up. Or rather, he knew that Kurt wanted something. He didn't say anything though, deciding to wait until Kurt asked him for whatever it was. He figured it was money for some outrageously priced outfit or a pair of shoes Kurt didn't need. It had been a while since Kurt asked him for anything so he was already planning on saying yes. But not before he enjoyed watching his son squirm a bit first.

"So boys, how was your first day back?" Burt asked nonchalantly as they all sat down at the table for dinner.

Finn shrugged, his mouth already full of food. "It was ok. Santana almost killed Rachel though."

Carole and Burt looked at Kurt questioningly. "What are you looking at me for? He said Santana, not Kurt," he grumbled, avoiding eye contact with them.

"Yeah but, you and Santana share like, one brain though," Finn replied, smirking at the glare Kurt sent him.

"We do not. We are both completely capable of thinking on our own, Finn Hudson," Kurt snapped. "And besides, Rachel is the one that acted like an insensitive bi-"

"Kurt," Burt warned. He adored Santana, really, he did. She was the closest thing he had to a daughter. But that girl had a mouth on her and Burt found himself scolding Kurt's language far more often than he'd like.

"Sorry," Kurt cleared his throat before continuing. "Rachel acted insensitively today, Finn. Tana had every right to go off on her."

"What did Rachel say?" Carole asked, already dreading the answer.

"She brought up that fact that Tana and Britt aren't soulmates in front of the entire Glee club. As if she needed reminding," Kurt said, glaring at Finn who at least had the decency to look ashamed by his girlfriend's actions.

Carole shook her head. "That girl needs to learn to keep her mouth shut and her nose out of other people's business."

"Mom!" Finn exclaimed.

"It's true, son," Carole shrugged unapologetically, ignoring the offended look on Finn's face. "Need I remind you of what happened with Quinn?" Finn looked down and shook his head. "That's what I thought."

"How is Santana holding up?" Burt asked with genuine concern.

Kurt half-shrugged. "Not very well. She's trying not to let it get to her but I know she's still hurting."

Burt nodded sadly. "She'll get through it. She's a strong girl," Kurt nodded but said nothing, taking a bite of food. "So Kurt, anything else happen today at school? Anything exciting?"

Kurt looked up from his plate, Burt watching him with an amused expression. "Umâ"

"Umâ" Burt pressed.

Kurt set his fork down, sitting back in his seat. "Well, I mean, I don't know if you'd consider it exciting butâ"

Burt rolled his eyes, Carole chuckling to herself while Finn glanced back and forth between the Hummels. Watching their back and forth was always entertaining. "What is it, when does it come out, and how much?"

"It's probably a pair of boots," Finn said with a nod before Kurt could answer.

"Or some vintage scarf he found online," Carole suggested.

"Oh! I bet it's a life size Blaine Anderson doll," Finn teased, ducking out of the way and catching the bread roll Kurt tossed at him.

"Shut up, Finn. I would not buy a life size Blaine doll. That would be creepy," Kurt snapped, his cheeks tinting pink.

Finn scoffed. "Right, cause the 12 foot poster of him in your room isn't."

"Boys," Burt said firmly, commanding their attention. Finn smirked to himself while Kurt crossed his arms and huffed in annoyance. Burt turned to Kurt, his brow raised. "So, what is it? What do you want?"

It took Kurt all of two seconds before he burst. "The Warblers are going on tour and they're coming to Columbus and I just have to go!" he screeched.

"I knew it had to do with Blaine Anderson," Finn said though Kurt ignored him.

"And I'm not talking about sitting in the nosebleeds, Dad," Kurt continued. "I'm talking front row seats, backstage passes, VIP, all of it! I have to meet him, Dad! I have to tell him how much he means to me, how much he's helped me! I have to remind him of that night when we first met! Please, please, Dad! Please let me get the VIP package, well two cause of course Tana is coming with."

"Of course," Finn muttered.

"And I know I'm asking a lot, I know that it's going to be expensive, but Dad, it's The Warblers! And it's in Columbus! The same place we met Blaine, the same place where they were discovered! And on my birthday no less! This is fate, Dad! Please, please, please can we go?!" Kurt begged, finally taking a breather.

Burt set his silverware down, placing his hands on each side of his plate. "And how much are these VIP packages?"

"Well, you see, there are two types of VIP packages," Kurt started, his fingers playing with the tablecloth nervously. "There's the regular VIP where you get a special poster and lanyard, and you get to do the meet and greet, but it's really fast. They'll be sitting at a table, they'll sign your poster, and then you move on. Then there's the ultimate VIP where you get to go to the sound check and you get to be backstage and you get to actually talk to them and not for a few seconds, but for like, twenty minutes! There's only ever a few of the ultimate packages and they're more expensive and they sell out ridiculously fast but it's so worth it! We'd be able to talk to them and hangout with them before the show and everything!"

"How much, Kurt," Burt asked again.

"For the ultimate packageâ500 dollars," Kurt said cautiously.

Burt blanched. "For one ticket? Are you insane?!"

"I know, I know!" Kurt said quickly, his heart racing. "But Dad please, I have never wanted anything more in my entire life! Please, Dad! I won't ask for anything ever again! You don't even have to buy me a Christmas present this year or anything. Just please, please, please buy us the ultimate packages! I'll do anything!" he pleaded, his voice wavering. He promised himself he wouldn't throw a fit or cry if his dad said no but he would be devastated if he didn't get a real opportunity to meet Blaine.

Burt sat back in his seat, glancing at Finn who was gaping at Kurt, then to Carole who was giving him an encouraging smile. He looked back at Kurt whose eyes were already clouding over. "If I buy you two of these special packages, you will work at the shop every weekend, you will do extra chores, and you will not ask for anything else. No new outfits, no new shoes, nothing. Is that understood?" Kurt nodded fervently, his eyes wide. "Fine. I'll get you the special VIP."

"What?!" Finn shouted in shock as Kurt let out a high pitched scream.

Kurt jumped out of his seat, nearly tackling Burt to the ground with excitement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are the best dad in the entire universe!"

"Yeah, yeah," Burt laughed, patting Kurt on the back. "Get off me already."

"This is so not fair," Finn complained. "How come he gets to hang-out with a rockstar for his birthday when all I got was-"

"Season passes to the Buckeyes?" Kurt cut in as he took his seat. "Don't be so selfish, Finn. You get to hang-out with the football team during every home game, and you get to toss the football around with them. I only get to talk to Blaine once. Plus, I have to work these tickets off, you didn't."

"He has a point," Carole said with a nod.

"ButâIâugh! Fine," Finn grumbled.

Kurt smiled smugly before turning his attention back to his dad. "Thank you so much, Dad. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Mhm," Burt nodded, going back to eating his dinner. The truth was, he did know how much it meant to Kurt. The Warblers and their music had helped Kurt through so much. They were there for Kurt in ways that Burt couldn't have been, in ways Burt didn't understand. But he knew what they meant to Kurt, what Blaine Anderson meant to him. And though the prices were outrageous, he couldn't deny his son the chance to finally meet his idol.

Blaine sat outside on his patio late that night, twirling the phone on the table, prolonging the inevitable a little while longer. He knew he had to call his parents. He knew he wouldn't be able get away with not telling them that they would be in Ohio. But he also knew it was pointless. In a perfect world, his parents would jump at the chance to see their show. They would be excited to see their youngest son perform to a no doubt sold out crowd and they would be happy for him, proud of him. But in his world, the one where they kicked him out, refused to accept who he is, they could care less. Well, his mother would care, just enough to put a small smile on his face. But his dad? That was an entirely different story. Blaine took a deep breath, picked up his phone, and bit the bullet, dialing his parent's home number.

"Anderson residents," a woman answered politely.

Blaine smiled a bit. "Hey, Mom."

"Blaine," Natalie Anderson greeted with much more enthusiasm than Blaine could ever remember hearing. "How are you son?"

"I'm doing well, Mom. How are you?" Blaine asked with genuine curiosity. "What have you been up to?"

"I'm good. You know me, always planning some event for your father," Natalie said with a small chuckle. "How's LA? You eating ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm eating fine," Blaine answered, surprised by his mother's gentle tone. "I actually called to let you know that The Warblers are going on tour starting in October. Columbus is our first stop."

"Oh Blaine, that's so exciting!" Natalie said happily. "Will you be stopping by?" Before Blaine could answer, he heard the distinct sound of his father's voice asking who was on the phone. "Blaine, hold on. Your father would like to speak to you."

Blaine knew in an instant that the pleasantries were over. "Hello, Blaine." John Anderson said, his tone hard.

"Hello, Dad," Blaine replied, doing his best to hide his disappointment.

"Your mother says you're going on tour. Will you be stopping by here?" John asked, though his voice indicated that Blaine wasn't exactly welcome.

"We have a show in Columbus and one in Cleveland," Blaine answered, turning towards the patio door when he heard it open. Cooper gave him a questioning look and Blaine mouthed Dad, Cooper rolling his eyes as he took a seat at the table. "But I'm not sure if I'll have time to actually come see you guys. I can check with Eric and-"

"No need. I'm sure you'll be too busy to stop by," John interrupted. "How's Cooper doing? Is he there with you?"

"Yeah, he's right here," Blaine said dryly, passing the phone to his brother. Cooper made a face but took the phone anyway.

"Hey, Dad," Cooper greeted with fake enthusiasm as he walked inside the house.

Blaine sighed as Cooper walked off. Leave it to their father to completely ruin any happiness he may have had. He was grateful that he had Cooper in his life but he hated how he was always the better son simply because he was straight. Blaine and Cooper had a rocky relationship growing up, Blaine constantly trying to live up to his brother's expectations. But once he and the guys moved out to LA and Blaine told him about how their parents treated him, Cooper opened his arms and his home for him. Things were slowly getting better with his mother, though he could never tell if it was all a faÃ§ade. But his relationship with his father was nonexistent. He couldn't hate the man though. If he hadn't kicked Blaine out then he never would've been playing on the street corner to earn a living and he never would've been discovered. That was his silver lining.

Cooper grunted in aggravation as he walked back outside, handing Blaine his phone. "I swear all he wants to do is gripe at me for not giving a crap about his damn business."

"At least he talks to you," Blaine muttered, his eyes to the ground.

Cooper scoffed. "More like talks at me." Blaine may think that his relationship with their father was better because he was straight, but Cooper hated the man. No matter how successful he became, he was never good enough for John Anderson's standards. "Did you talk to Mom?"

Blaine nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah. She seemed oddly happy though."

"She's been seeing someone," Cooper said, quickly backtracking. "A therapist I mean. She told me the other day."

"Oh?" Blaine said in surprise.

"Yep. She's at least trying," Cooper shrugged with an encouraging smile.

Blaine nodded, a sigh escaping his lips. "I'm going to head to bed. Got a long day tomorrow. Night, Coop."

"Night, Squirt," Cooper said, grabbing Blaine's arm before he could go inside. "Be happy, Blainers. You're going on a world tour! Maybe you'll find him this time."

Blaine smiled softly, shrugging a little. "Maybe. Night."

"Night," Cooper sighed, letting go of Blaine's arm and turning his attention to the stars, wishing his own beloved could be there with him and not away on business. Cooper was an actor, completely lucking out in Blaine's opinion and landing the lead on a hit TV show. Cooper's wife Monica however, was a lawyer, and a damn good one at that. Between Cooper's childish nature and Monica's take no prisoner attitude, they were the perfect match.

Blaine pulled his shirt off as he walked into his room and threw it in the hamper. He tossed his phone on his pillow, changed into his pajama pants, and grabbed his laptop before getting in bed. He checked his email and replied to a few. He read the band's schedule for the next few days, committing it to memory. He then signed on to Twitter, feeling the need to do a quick QA before heading off to sleep. Talking with fans always made him feel better.

Kurt was lying in bed, moments away from falling asleep when his phone beeping caught his attention. He grabbed it from his bedside table, instantly waking up the moment he saw the Twitter notification.

WarblerBlaineAnderson : Short QA startingâNOW! #AskBlaine

Kurt watched as the hashtag exploded with questions, each one more ridiculous than the prior one. He rolled his eyes at the fans that begged Blaine to tweet them and envied the ones that got responses. He didn't tweet Blaine himself though. He never did. He was always too scared, too embarrassed. He didn't want to seem like one of those crazy fans, like he had earlier at the dinner table. But when Blaine tweeted that he was going to bed and would answer one more question, Kurt quickly tweeted him before he lost his nerve.

Blaine scrolled through the hashtag, looking for the perfect question to answer before calling it a night. He was seconds away from answering one about the album when another caught his attention.

Cheerio_Porcelain : WarblerBlaineAnderson What is your heart's greatest desire? #AskBlaine

Blaine smiled softly at the question, glancing at his wrist for only a moment before removing the cuff. He ran his thumb over the name gently, sighing with longing. He went back to his computer and clicked reply.

Kurt tried not to be disappointed. Blaine had over 50 million fans following him. He doubted that Blaine even read his question. But then he got a mentions alert and stopped breathing, his heart jumping out of his chest.

WarblerBlaineAnderso n: Cheerio_Porcelain To find my missing puzzle piece and make all his dreams come true. :)

As soon as Blaine hit send, he clicked on the profile and scanned through the tweets. It was rare of him to read through his fan's tweets, always feeling weird for doing it. But there was something about this person that intrigued him enough to look. Maybe it was the question itself, or maybe it was their peculiar handle. But either way, Blaine found himself chuckling at their tweets, appreciating the snarkiness. He read the profile, cocking his head to the side curiously. 17, Male, proudly gay and stuck in a hellhole that is high school. Future fashion designer. Cheerleading Champ. And constantly having bitch-offs with my girl Cheerio_Sandbags. Blaine went back to reading the tweets only to stop when he saw there was a new one. He laughed at the response he received.

Cheerio_Porcelain : WarblerBlaineAnderson Now THAT is what I call an answer. #epicswoon

Kurt was panicking. What the hell had he been thinking tweeting that to Blaine? Now he really was one of the crazies. He went to delete the message, praying that Blaine hadn't seen it but stopped when he saw that Blaine had favorited it. He had to cover his mouth from screaming and waking up the whole house, because seriously? What the hell just happened?

WarblerBlaineAnderson : That was fun. Off to bed now. Hope everyone has a goodnight sleep. Especially you. Wherever you are.

Blaine signed out of Twitter and closed his laptop, forcing himself to stop reading Cheerio_Porcelain's tweets. What the hell had he been thinking? Stalking some teenage boy's Twitter? He must be more exhausted than he thought. He set his laptop on the floor, plugged his cellphone in, and placed his cuff on his bedside table before settling into bed. He brought his hand up to his face, gingerly rubbing the name on his wrist before setting his arms down and looking out the window where the moon shone in.

"Sleep well my beloved Kurt," he whispered into the night. "Wherever you may be."

A/N: See ya next week. :)

Back to the Start

A/N: I always talk about how blown away I am by you readers and I have never meant it more than I do right now. I mean really, there are not enough words in the human language to describe just how much I love and appreciate every single one of you. Just thank you so, so much.

Speaking of being blown away, I saw Darren last night in Houston and that man, that man is perfection in so many ways and for so many reasons. The concert was PHENOMONAL! He is truly a one of kind artist.

With that said, enjoy the early update. :) Thank you MuseInMe3 for being so wonderful.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The bonding process is quite simple. Soulmates must hold their left hands up and connect palm to palm. A red string, commonly known as the heart string, will appear from both soulmates and wrap itself around their wrists, then their hands and fingers, the strings interweaving with one another. Once they are taken to the Lands of Mira, the following promise must be recited by each party, "I *insert full name* bond myself to thee *insert soulmate full name* for all of eternity." Once the bond is complete, soulmates must make love and spend no less than 24 hours in each other's presence to solidify the bond. Failure to do so will result in extreme feeling of loss and abandonment that can damage the psyche. After the bond has been solidified, soulmates are to replace the brown leather cuff that was received when turning of age with a black leather cuff to proclaim their connection to the world.

Excerpt from: How to Bond

The following two months passed by in a blur. Between Cheerios' practice, Glee club rehearsal, and his impending birthday, Kurt had little time to worry about much else. He and Santana were able to convince Quinn to come back to the Cheerios and surprisingly enough, it was Brittany who convinced her to come back to Glee club. Sam had turned of age a few weeks into the year, solidifying their relationship, and destroying any lingering love she had left for Santana.

Brittany knew that she and Santana would never be friends like they used to be, they would never be as close. And it pained her deeply to see such a strong, powerful girl like Santana go through so much turmoil, knowing that she was the cause it. So she went to Quinn and talked her into coming back, begging her to be there for Santana where she no longer could. Kurt had to hand it to Brittany. Despite the pain and drama, she still cared for Santana and truly wanted her happy. And although Santana would never admit it, she was grateful. Had it not been for Quinn and Kurt, she would've undoubtedly fallen apart.

Alongside Brittany and Sam, Tina and Mike both turned of age and were soulmates, not that anyone had any doubts. Pretty soon the entire senior class would be marked. It was such a bittersweet moment for all of them. On one hand, turning of age meant receiving an entirely new kind of respect from their peers and the adults in their lives. But it also changed everything. Their society tended to obsess over the significant event and once someone turned of age, the only thing most people cared about was that person's soulmate.

Kurt's birthday was less than a week away and while he had absolutely no desire to discuss it, it was all anybody wanted to talk about. Including Jacob Ben Israel who had gone as far as creating a poll on whether Kurt's soulmate would be a male or female and would he get one at all. Kurt hated how so many students voted that he wouldn't get one, as if he wasn't worried enough about whom his soulmate would be.

"It's so stupid," Santana griped during Glee rehearsal on Tuesday. "Everyone gets a soulmate. Even Jewfro will get one, though I feel bad for the poor bastard that has to put up with his sorry excuse of a person."

"We need to get that poll taken down," Rachel said, her hands on her hips. "It is completely unacceptable and we should not tolerate his ridiculous blog any longer. I say we march up to him and demand that he removes it. Or we go to the administration andâKurt, are you even listening to me?"

He wasn't. Or at least he was trying not to. Instead he was making faces at Quinn and Santana, who were snickering in each other's shoulders, while Rachel went on and on. "No Rach, I wasn't listening," he sighed with an eye roll.

"And why not?" Rachel asked, clearly offended. "Doesn't it bother you that the whole school thinks you won't have a soulmate because of what Jacob wrote on his blog?" she asked, taking her seat next to Finn.

"The fact that they believe it at all is proof of how stupid the morons at this school really are," Kurt retorted, crossing his legs. "I couldn't care less what they think and come Saturday morning, I'm not going to be worrying about whose name is on my wrist. I'm going to be too preoccupied getting my fine ass into a pair of extra skinny jeans that will no doubt leave Blaine Anderson a drooling mess," he smirked, holding his hand palm side up so Santana and Quinn could high-five him.

"I still can't believe you get to go back stage," Tina said enviously.

"You betta believe it girl Chang," Santana said twirling her hair. "Don't be surprised if the papz get some sexy photos of Kurt and Blaine either cause I am totally helping him get his mack-on."

"Wait, you're not actually going to do that, right?" Finn asked cautiously. "Cause I don't think Burt would like that."

Kurt smiled mischievously, not at all truly planning on flirting with Blaine but unable to resist messing with Finn. "I don't know, Finn. You know how Tana and I get when we're together. We become very, persuasive," he purred, sending Santana a wink.

Finn scrunched his face in thought as the other Glee clubbers laughed. "Wait for it," Quinn smirked watching Finn put the pieces together, his eyes going wide when he figured out the insinuation. "There he goes."

"Dude! You mean likeâthe three of you together? Gross!" Finn grumbled. "Besides, aren't all three of you gay? How would that even work?"

"Well Frankenteen, I have two holes and they each have a penis so I'm sure it would work quite well," Santana said, not at all caring about the scandalized look on everyone's face.

"I so did not need that image," Mike said, turning away from Santana.

"Preach," Mercedes and Artie said simultaneously.

"I think it's hot," Quinn shrugged nonchalantly, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. She was not supposed to say that out loud and as Santana turned to look her, the blush on her cheeks deepened.

Santana eyed Quinn curiously, a slow, seductive grin gracing her face. "Wanky," she purred, sending Quinn a wink just as Mr. Schuester walked in.

"Sorry I'm late guys. What did I miss?"

Santana opened her mouth to reply but Kurt quickly covered it with his hand. "Absolutely nothing, Mr. Schue. We were just waiting for you to start," he said, pulling his hand away when Santana licked his palm. He sent her an annoyed glare and she stuck her tongue out at him. Kurt rolled his eyes, though a smirk played at his lips.

Mr. Schuester smiled, completely oblivious to what his students had been talking about. "Alright then. Let's get started."

"Take fifteen, guys," Eric told The Warblers during their final rehearsal late Tuesday afternoon.

With the tour starting in a few days, they were working themselves to death, perfecting their harmonies and dance moves. They played along to a few of their songs, Blaine and Nick on guitar, David on drums, Wes on keyboard, and Jeff on bass. But they danced to most of them, and Jeff being the choreographer meant all their routines were ridiculously intricate. Wes walked over to his bag, taking a seat on the floor and pulling out his water bottle. David lied down in the middle of the dance hall, grumbling to himself about Jeff needing to sleep with one eye open. Jeff and Nick tossed themselves on the couch against the wall, lying on opposite sides as their legs intertwined. Blaine however, continued to rehearse the dance moves, completely focused on his footwork and timing.

"I said take fifteen, Blaine," Eric said, glancing up from his clipboard.

"Yeah, yeah," Blaine muttered dismissively. "Let me just get this move down."

Eric walked over and stood directly in front of him. "Blaine, take a break," he spoke with authority.

Blaine placed his hands on his waist, breathing heavily before nodding. "I'm going to take a walk. Cool down a bit," he breathed out before walking out of the rehearsal hall. Eric watched Blaine walk away worriedly.

"Yo E," David called out. "What's up with Blaine?"

"Yeah, he's been acting really weird lately," Nick commented from the couch.

Eric ran his hands through his hair, glancing towards to the door to make sure Blaine wasn't coming back in. "Do you remember what you were like right before you found Katherine?" he asked David.

David sat up, leaning on his hands. "Yeah, I wasânervous. Anxious."

"And you Wes? What were you like when you finally found Vanessa?" Eric asked.

"Same way as David," Wes said as he stood back up. "There were moments where I felt like my skin was crawling." Eric stayed quiet, waiting for the guys to put it together. Wes' eyes widened. "Are you saying that Blaine's about to meet his soulmate?"

Eric nodded with a sigh. "I think so, yeah."

"Man, talk about shitty timing," Jeff groaned, sitting up on the couch. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I think it's awesome as hell but now? Right when we're about to start a world freakin tour? That's rough."

"Finding his soulmate then having to be away from him is not going to go over well," Eric said shaking his head. "We're going to have to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't make any rash decisions. You know how compulsive he gets. And you two," he pointed at Nick and Jeff. "You're going to need to tone down the affection, at least for a little while. Seeing you two together while his soulmate is who knows where is going to be really hard on him."

"We can do that," Nick assured him, sending Jeff who was pouting an apologetic smile.

"How soon do you think it'll be before Blaine finds him?" Wes asked.

"With the way he's acting, the over-focusing and the jitteriness, I'd say really damn soon," Eric nodded.

Wes walked over to David, pulling him up. "Looks like we're in for an interesting tour."

Blaine must have walked around the dance studio over a hundred times. His nerves were shot, his heart racing at an uncontrollable speed. He'd researched enough to know exactly what was going on. He watched David and Wes go through it, he knew the signs. He was meeting his soulmate and soon. Jeff and Nick had been lucky. They didn't go through the anxiety because they had already known each other when they turned of age. But for those that had never personally known their beloved beforehand, like Blaine, David, and Wes, they dealt with anxiety for weeks. Blaine read someone say online that it felt like they'd taken a thousand shots of espresso and that was exactly how he felt. He even cut out all caffeine and worked out every day to the point of exhaustion, just to counter the anxiety. But it didn't work. Nothing he did to calm his heart helped and he felt like he was going crazy.

He leaned against the wall, resting his head back and taking deep breaths. He spent years waiting for his soulmate, wishing more than anything that they could be together. And now that it was finally happening, he didn't know how to handle it. He was terrified of what it meant for the tour. Would he be able to handle being away from his beloved? He remembered how hard it had been for Wes and David not to be with their soulmates in the beginning of their relationship because of their busy schedule and he dreaded having to go through it. Would Kurt be willing to come on tour with them? Would he be able to? And what if he hated Blaine? What if the reason he never searched Blaine out was because he wasn't a fan of him or his music and was ashamed? Why now? Of all the times for Blaine to meet his Kurt, why did it have to happen when they were about to begin their first world tour?

Blaine ran his hands through his hair, pushing the negative thoughts away. This was what he wanted, what he'd desired for years. He needed to accept the fact that they would meet soon and deal with it when it happened. He couldn't obsess about it right now, not when they had their first show in a few days. He needed to focus. With a quick inhale, Blaine pushed himself off the wall and walked back inside for rehearsal.

Eric checked the list as he walked around the tour and equipment busses Wednesday morning. This would be his third time through but he couldn't risk leaving anything behind. This was The Warblers' biggest tour. Everything needed to go smoothly. He walked over to the crew when he was fully satisfied, whistling to grab their attention.

"Alright everyone, listen up. We leave today on a very long, very exhausting three months, so let's make sure we have everything set to go," Eric started glancing down at his clipboard. "Dan, you'll be driving the equipment bus, Kevin, you'll be driving the band's bus, and Charles-"

"Why do I have to drive their bus?" Charles asked with a grunt, nodding towards The Warblers.

"Awe, come on," Blaine pouted in a baby voice. "We aren't that bad," he teased, everyone around them chuckling.

"It's not you. It's them," Charles said, narrowing his eyes on Jeff and David.

Both men gasped loudly, placing their hands over their heart. "You wound me, Charlie," Jeff said feigning innocence. "David and I are nothing but kind to you."

"That's right," David said with a nod. "We love you, Charlie. You're one of us."

Charles scoffed. "Oh yes. You love me so much that during your last tour you decided to switch out my shampoo with dye so that I could have pink hair, for a month!"

The crew laughed, David and Jeff louder than the rest. Charles was an old man with long gray hair and constantly wore a scowl on his face. Not that he was an angry man by any means, he was simply one of those people that rarely smiled. He was the grandpa of the group and everyone treated him with the utmost respect, with the exception of David and Jeff that is. They respected him, but they were constantly pulling pranks on him. They said it was their way to get the elder to laugh but really, it was for their own entertainment.

"You're driving their bus because you're the one I trust most to keep them in check," Eric said, unable to contain his smile as Charles grumbled to himself. "And you two, be nice to him."

"Of course," Jeff smirked, sending David a conspiring wink.

"Don't worry, Charles. We'll make sure they behave," Blaine assured him.

Charles offered him a small but grateful smile. "Thank you, Blaine. You always were my favorite."

"HEY!" David and Jeff screamed simultaneously.

David shook his head, crossing his arms. "Not cool man. Not cool at all."

Eric could only chuckle. "Alright, enough of that. Back to the list. Julie, let's talk wardrobe."

Eric went through his list with the crew, finalizing every detail before dismissing everyone for lunch. The Warblers were doing an interview with Mario Lopez in less than an hour and then they would be on their way to Ohio. He checked in with the guys, reminding them to be on their best behavior during the interview before searching for Blaine who had walked away at the end of his checklist. He needed to talk with Blaine privately before they embarked on their journey.

Blaine was leaning against one of the buses, texting on his phone when Eric found him. "Hey, you doing alright?"

Blaine nodded, glancing up for a moment before turning back to his phone to finish his text. "Yeah, just texting my mom," he said with a small smile. He and his mother had been talking more recently. She had yet to say anything to him about going to therapy and Blaine hadn't brought it up, feeling as though she would tell him when she was ready. The more he spoke with her though, the more he believed her to be sincere. Maybe he hadn't completely lost his parents, at least not one of them.

"Is she coming to any of the shows?" Eric asked curiously.

"Maybe the Cleveland one. My dad has some big dinner event Saturday so she can't come to Columbus," Blaine shrugged lightly, slipping his phone into his pocket. "She said she has to double check the schedule for Sunday so I guess we'll see." He didn't want to get his hopes up but he really wanted his mother to show.

"Ok. I'll make sure she's on the list," Blaine nodded, breathing deeply. "How do you feel?" Eric asked with a knowing smirk. They briefly discussed the possibility of Blaine meeting his soulmate after rehearsal the day before and Eric was doing his best to be supportive all the while not showing how worried he truly was.

"Ok, I guess," Blaine said with uncertainty. "I mean, I'm not as anxious as I was yesterday, but I still kinda feel like my skin is crawling."

"That's pretty normal," Eric informed him, smiling to himself as he recalled meeting his beloved. "I remember when I finally met Jessica. I was a crazed mess for weeks then a couple of days before we met, I was eerily calm. With the exception of that ever present tingly feeling."

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, a small smile in place. "That's exactly what I feel. Like, I know it's happening so I'm calm, but my body is still on fire."

"It's searching for the connection," Eric told him. "Now, I wanted to ask you something. It's pretty clear that you'll be meeting him within the next few days. Do you want to tell me his name so I can keep an eye out for him?"

Blaine contemplated for a moment before shaking his head. "No. I want to meet him on my own. I want it to be natural."

Eric smiled approvingly. "Alright then. Let's head out. The boys are waiting. Be warned though, there's a good chance Mario will ask about your soulmate," he said as they walked to the van.

Blaine nodded, a sheepish grin gracing his face. "I figured as much. But it's fine. I got it handled."

Friday afternoon found Kurt, Santana, and Quinn at the mall, the girls helping Kurt find the perfect outfit for the concert. He wanted something that would get him noticed without going over the top and his girls were the best ones to help him. "How exactly did you convince your dad to let you buy an outfit after he spent an obscene amount of dough on those tickets?" Santana asked as she shifted through the clothes rack.

"Ok first, don't bitch about the prices. You wouldn't even be going if it wasn't for me," Kurt retorted, sending Santana his girl please glare. Santana shrugged uncaringly, Quinn smirking at the two. "And two, I simply reminded him that even though the concert was technically a birthday present, I have been working my ass off at the shop and at home. So it was only fair that I at least get a new outfit and some spending cash for tomorrow."

Santana smiled proudly, pulling out a pair of skinny jeans for Kurt to try on. "I've taught you so well."

"Yes you have," Kurt said as he grabbed them, adding it to the pile of clothes he had. "I'm going to try these clothes on. Why don't you make yourself useful for once and go scare the salesperson into selling these half-off," he smirked as he strutted away, Santana doing the blowjob motion behind him. Quinn could only laugh. Her friends were ridiculous.

Instead of finding the salesperson, Santana and Quinn followed Kurt towards the dressing rooms, sitting on the couch to wait. They both doubted Kurt would find an outfit in the first set of clothes he tried on. Quinn leaned closer to Santana, speaking lowly so Kurt wouldn't hear, though he did anyway. "Has he freaked out about tomorrow yet?" she asked.

Santana shook her head. "He refuses to talk about it. I tried this morning and he bit my damn head off."

"That's because there's no need to talk about it," Kurt said from inside the dressing room. He opened the door and poked his head out. "There's nothing I can do about who it is so why talk about it? Why freak out when I have absolutely no choice in the matter?" he asked before going back inside the dressing room.

"You know, I think he's just pissed that he won't be able to drool over Blaine Anderson anymore," Santana said loudly.

"Oh, that's right," Quinn nodded with a small laugh. "Once his soulmates name is on his wrist he won't be able to be in love with Blaine," she teased.

"And this is why I need to make sure they get their sexy on tomorrow night," Santana reasoned, knowing that Kurt was most likely scowling. "That way he can at least say, hey I was with a rockstar on my 18th birthday. What did you do Berry? Cry into a tub of ice cream when you found out that you'll be stuck with manboobs for the rest of your life?"

Kurt walked out of the dressing room in his first outfit, sending the giggling girls an unimpressed glare. "I am not going to try and hook up with Blaine, Satan. I already told you that," he snapped. "And I'm not pissed about not being able to drool over him or anything either. I just don't see the point in freaking out or panicking when again, there's absolutely nothing I can do. Whoever's name appears on my wristâwell it is what is and that's that," he said as he walked over to the full length mirror. He didn't need to tell them how worried he truly was, how anxious he'd felt for the past few weeks. He didn't need to admit out loud that the mere thought of his soulmate made his insides burn. His fear and discomfort was evident in his eyes. The girls weren't fooled.

Santana raised a brow, "Mhm. Whatever you say, Baby Penguin."

Kurt ignored her, twirling around in front of the mirror before turning to face the girls. "So, what do you think?" he asked gesturing to the outfit.

Quinn made an indifferent face. "It's nice but it doesn't pop. You look like you're going to visit grandma, not go to a concert."

"I agree," Santana nodded, eyeing the outfit with distaste. "Those pants aren't nearly tight enough."

Kurt turned back around, his eyes scanning the outfit once more. "You're right. This sucks. Ok, next choice," he said, walking back into the dressing room, missing the eye rolls from both girls.

Several hours and four stores later, Santana and Quinn were hunched over each other, Santana's head on Quinn's lap and Quinn draped over her side, waiting impatiently for Kurt to finish.

"Why couldn't Rachel be your best friend instead?" Santana whined.

"Because then I'd be dressed in kitty sweaters," Kurt called out.

Quinn and Santana groaned. "Oh god. Can you imagine the two of them together? They'd always be singing show tunes and being annoying as hell," Quinn said, draping her arm around her head, covering her ears as if she could actually hear them.

"He does that enough as is," Santana griped as she hid her face behind her hands. "Just thinking of him being any more of a dork makes my boobs ache with rage."

"Would you two shut the hell up," Kurt snapped at them. "Don't act like you both weren't singing along to Hairspray the other day."

"You should feel lucky, honored, that I saved you from social suicide, Hummel," Santana said pointing to Kurt's dressing room door. "If it hadn't been for me and Q, you would've ended up being BFF's with Berry."

"I so would've hated you," Quinn drawled.

"Alright, alright. I got it," Kurt groaned, finally stepping out of the dressing room. "I swear all you two do is bitch."

Quinn scoffed, sitting up to inspect Kurt's outfit. "Right, this coming from His Royal Highness Diva Bitch himself."

Santana popped her head up, eyeing Kurt up and down. "Hey, I like that. Turn around."

Kurt did, smirking at the whistle that came from Santana before walking over to the full length mirror. "I thinkâyes, this one is definitely the one." He was dressed in a Givenchy black star collar shirt, his broad shoulders and strong arms filling the shirt out, and red jeans that fit snug around his ass and legs. "I was thinking I could wear my skinny red tie and my Doc Marten boots."

Santana and Quinn walked over to him, each standing on one side. Santana slowly slid her hand down Kurt's ass, giving it a firm squeeze before smacking it hard. "Definitely the one. You look sexy as hell, Kurt. Totally fuckable. These jeans make me wish we were straight."

Kurt smirked, biting his lip and cocking his head to the side, momentarily imagining Blaine's hand on his ass instead of Santana's. "Ok, I'm going to change then we can get the hell out of here," he said walking back to the dressing room.

"Fuckin' finally," Santana said with relief. "I cannot wait until tomorrow. Blaine Anderson ain't gon' know what hit him."

Kurt sighed deeply as he sat back against his headboard with his laptop. It was getting late but his nerves were frayed, preventing him from falling asleep. He pulled up YouTube, searched for the newest Extra video that was posted a couple days earlier and clicked on it, resting his head back as it loaded. He'd already seen the video a few times, ok maybe more than a few, but he needed to distract himself from his thoughts. Plus, Blaine was exceptionally adorable during the interview so how could he not watch again? Kurt saw movement outside his door, waiting a moment in case anybody came in. When no knock came, he returned his attention to the video and pressed play.

"They're handsome, talented, charming, and funny. They're about to embark on their very first sold-out worldwide tour and they are here, ready to spill the details. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome The Warblers!" Mario introduced. Kurt laughed as the guys cheered along with the crowd. "How's it going guys?"

"It's going really great, Mario," Wes answered. "Thank you so much for having us."

"Thank you for being here," Mario smiled. "Now, your album was released last month and has been topping the charts ever since. How does that feel?"

"There aren't enough words to describe just how absolutely incredible it feels," David said with sincerity. "We wrote and produced this entire album by ourselves and we worked really hard to create something that we hope the fans love."

"Oh, they certainly do," Mario assured them, Kurt nodding in agreement. "I can't go anywhere without hearing one of your songs, be it on the radio or that crazy old lady down the street. There is no escaping Warbler madness right now!" The crowd cheered, the guys smiling proudly. "And what can you tell us about the tour? Anything special happening?"

"We're actually doing something really cool this tour," Jeff said bouncing on his feet. "We've decided that we're going to take tons and tons of pictures,"

"Backstage photos, rehearsals, meeting fans," Nick smiled.

"Then, at the end of the tour, we're going to make these awesome collages and auction them off," Jeff continued.

"All the proceeds are going to the Trevor Project and the highest bidder will not only get a collage," Nick said teasingly.

"But they'll get a 15 minute Skype session with us. We're also making a concert DVD and we'll be filming all our backstage shenanigans. That's going to be a lot of fun," Jeff finished off.

Mario glanced at the two before looking at the rest of the band. "Do you they always do that?"

Kurt laughed along with The Warblers, his eyes focused on Blaine. "Always. They've been like that ever since high school, even before they turned of age," Blaine said fondly.

"Man, that must be annoying," Mario joked.

"You have no idea," Wes laughed. "I was Jeff's roommate at Dalton. Trust me, it was bad."

"I bet," Mario chuckled. Kurt sat up straighter as his favorite part of the interview started. "So let's talk about the first single off your new album, Mirrors. The music video premiered last week and it already has over 50 million views on YouTube! Blaine, as the writer of this particular song, why do you think that is? What is it about it that has captivated everyone's heart? My wife included."

Blaine chuckled, a boyish grin on his lips. Kurt could only swoon. "I think it's because it shares such a meaningful message to us all. You know, finding that one person that completes you and reflects who you are."

"As someone who has yet to bond with their soulmate, was it hard finding the inspiration for it?"

Blaine shook his head. "You know, it really wasn't. But I can honestly say I don't know how I was able to convey such a powerful notion either. The lyrics just came to me one night and that was that." It's because you're brilliant, Kurt thought to himself.

"Mirrors was actually the last song we worked on," Wes said with a smile. "We needed one more track to complete the album and had been toying with a few ideas for a couple of weeks but nothing really stuck. Then Blaine here writes this incredibly beautiful ballad and we knew right away it was the one."

"It's definitely one of the most touching songs I've ever heard," Mario nodded. "And speaking of soulmates, I've been getting bombarded with messages all week so I have to ask. Blaine, your tweets lately have hinted at your soulmate," Blaine smiled bashfully, blushing as his friends hooted. Kurt bit his lip, unable to control his own blush at watching Blaine become so shy. "Have you found your special person or are you just teasing?"

"I'm mostly teasing," Blaine said with a wink, Kurt sighing. Whoever his soulmate is, is the luckiest person in the world. "I mean, I haven't met him yet but, who knows? We're heading to a lot of different places this tour. Maybe I'll meet him soon," he said with a dreamy smile that melted Kurt's heart.

"And how do you guys feel about this?"

"We think it's great," Wes smiled, patting Blaine's shoulder. "He's been the lonely lonesome for a little while so it'll be awesome to meet his one true love."

"Yeah, just a warning though, to whoever is lucky enough to be his soulmate, you better like Katy Perry cause this man is obsessed," David said with wide eyes.

"I'm not," Blaine argued, though he was smiling.

"You are," the guys said simultaneously. Kurt cocked his head to the side, smiling softly at Blaine's embarrassed flush.

"Man, they just called you out, on live television no less!" Mario exclaimed with a laugh.

"Aren't they mean?" Blaine said with a pout. Kurt imagined himself nibbling on that lip for only a moment.

"Naw," Mario shook his head. "That's how you know they love you. By embarrassing you." They all laughed and nodded. "Well our time is up but before we go, is there anything you want to say to the fans?"

"Yeah, just that we can't wait to see you out there," Blaine said, winking at the camera.

"And get ready for an amazing show," David concluded.

The video ended and Kurt sighed dreamily, contemplating if he should watch it again for only a second before starting the video over. He quickly paused it though when someone knocked on his door. "Come in," he called out.

Carole opened the door and walked into the room with a glass of water. "I thought you might be having some trouble sleeping," she said as she sat on the edge of his bed. "I brought you this," she handed him an Ambien and the glass of water.

Kurt smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. I guess I'm just too wired to fall asleep. You know, meeting The Warblers and all," he said before taking the pill.

Carole nodded but said nothing. Kurt may be using The Warblers as an excuse for being unable to fall asleep but she knew he was worried about his soulmate, no matter how calm he played it off. Kurt finished the water and handed her the glass.

"Get some rest," she said, kissing his forehead and walking out of the room just as Burt walked in.

"Hey bud, how you feeling?" Burt asked, a black velvet box in his hands.

Kurt smiled. "I feel fine."

Burt eyed him for a moment but decided to let it go. He remembered the night before his 18th birthday. He hadn't wanted to talk to anyone either. "Alright, if you say so. I just came in to give you this."

Kurt gulped as he took the black velvet box, knowing exactly what its contents were, and set it down on his pillow. "Thanks, Dad."

"Sure thing," Burt said with a soft smile. "Goodnight. Love you."

"Love you too. Night," Kurt said, giving his father a hug.

Burt walked out of the room, glancing behind him one final time before closing the door. His son was turning of age tomorrow and he could only pray that whoever his soulmate was would do right by his baby boy.

Kurt turned off his computer and set it aside before picking up the box. With a shaky breath, he opened it, his eyes tearing up at the sight of his cuff. He quickly closed it and set it on his bedside table next to his phone. He wasn't ready to handle it all yet and he realized that he no longer had the time to deal. When he woke up, he would be 18 and he would know who he was destined to be with. Maybe he should've let Santana spend the night after all. At least that way she would be there to keep him from freaking out. He lied down and took deep breaths, ready to allow himself to drift off to sleep when again, there was a knock on his door.

"I'm fine, Dad. Really," Kurt called out.

The door opened slowly, revealing a cautious Finn. "Actually, it's me."

Kurt leaned on his elbows. "What's up?"

Finn entered the room, closing the door behind him before walking over to sit on Kurt's bed. "I just wanted to see how you were doing," Finn said quietly. "Mom and Burt said you were fine butâyou've been pretty quiet today and I just, ya know, want to make sure you're ok."

Kurt sat up in bed, deciding to finally let someone in. Truthfully, he loved talking to Finn. Sure, they argued over dumb things and they got on each other's nerves most days. But Kurt trusted him and it was Finn's goofy, caring nature that he needed right now, not his dad's pep-talk or Carole's reassurance. "Honestly, I'm terrified," he admitted softly. "My entire life changes tomorrow. What if it's someone I hate? Or someone who hates me?"

"Like Karofsky?" Finn asked worriedly. "Or that Chandler kid?"

"Like Karofsky," Kurt nodded. "I mean, I'd love to say that there's no way in hell it's him because he's a straight homophobic asswipe who hates me but look at Britt. She ended up with Sam. And Chandler is gay, and annoying as hell. I really hope it's not him either."

Finn's shoulders slumped a bit. "Yeah. I guess it's hard to tell. But I mean, it's probably not either of them, right? Whoever it is, is probably like, way awesome because you're way awesome," he said, nodding enthusiastically.

Kurt smiled a bit. "I appreciate that Finn but I don't think that's how it works."

"I'm just sayin," Finn shrugged. "But you shouldn't worry about that or anything. You should worry about not making a fool of yourself in front of Blaine," he smirked.

"I can't even think about that either," Kurt laughed. "I know I was acting all cool this week but holy shit, dude! I'm meeting The freaking Warblers! And Blaine! What if he doesn't remember meeting me all those years ago and I just embarrass myself?"

Finn chuckled. "He probably will. I mean, I know that if I was playing for cash on the street, I'd remember the kid that gave me 50 bucks."

"I guess," Kurt said with a yawn. "Whatever. Doesn't matter. I should go to bed. Thanks for coming in and talking to me," he said softly.

Finn smiled a big goofy grin. "Of course, dude. You're my bro. I got your back," he said, ruffling Kurt's hair. Kurt didn't even bother scolding him. "Night, Kurt."

"Night, Finn," Kurt said, settling back into bed as Finn walked out of the room.

Kurt stared at the ceiling for a little while, letting all the possibilities of his soulmate run through his mind before turning to look at the poster of Blaine. He sighed longingly, his eyes drifting close. If only you were my soulmate, were the last words he thought before falling asleep.

A/N: If you haven't listened to Justin Timberlake's Mirrors, I suggest you go do that. I hope you liked this chapter. See ya next week.

Also, if you're not following me on twitter or tumblr and you'd like to, my handle is the same as this one: StarGleekBelle :)

Where My Heart Belongs

A/N: I love you guys. Truly, deeply love you. Thank you for all the support!

I will be switching back and forth between soulmate excerpts and social media posts at the beginning of every chapter. This one contains a blog post, the next one will be some tumblr posts.

Hope you enjoy the chapter. :)

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being so spectacular.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Get ready girls and boys because The Warblers are officially on tour! The tour, appropriately called Where It All Began, kicks off tomorrow in The Warblers' place of birth, Columbus, OH. Don't bother trying to get tickets. The show has been sold out for months and unless you have some kind of voodoo magic, there is no way to get into that concert. I was fortunate enough to grab a phone interview with The Warblers' manager Eric earlier in the week and he could not contain his excitement and pride. "This is a huge tour for the guys. I've never seen them work as hard as they have the past few months," he tells me. "Everything you see during the show, the lighting, the choreography, any special effects, was entirely planned by them. They've really grown since their last tour and anyone who has the opportunity to attend one of the shows will see just how truly brilliant these men are."

Trust me, Eric, we believe you. As a fan myself, I am floored by the level of maturity of The Warblers' newest album, My Kind of Love Song . While their debut album, Once a Warbler, Always a Warbler , was nothing but cute, albeit cheesy pop songs, and their sophomore album, Secret Place , consisted of soulful melodies, My Kind of Love Song is a wonderful mixture of both. The songs are a perfect combination of pop and RB and the lyrics are moving and deep. There are a few that are a bit rock and roll with insanely good guitar riffs, but for the most part, this album makes me want to get up and dance. Let's not forget about their vocal maturity either. Their voices have never sounded better and their harmonies are to die for. The Warblers have once again proven that they are the real deal and I certainly cannot wait to see them tear up that stage.

Linda Marie â" The High Note: Ohio's number 1 music blog

The Warblers left for the tour on Wednesday as soon as their interview with Mario Lopez was over. Any anxiety Blaine felt shifted over to excitement as they drove out of LA. Performing had always been Blaine's dream. The others originally had college plans, only taking a chance with the music industry because they wanted to support Blaine. But Blaine had no plans to further his education once he graduated high school. Even as a small child, all he wanted to do was perform and inspire others to follow their own dreams, no matter how unlikely that dream was. And as they drove to their first show, nothing else mattered to Blaine but their music and the fans.

The drive to Ohio was nothing short of entertaining. Well, it was entertaining for the guys, not so much for Charles who kept threatening to turn the bus around if they didn't start behaving. They may be grown men, but that didn't stop them from acting like teenage boys. Especially David and Jeff who had entirely too much fun watching the vein in Charles' neck pulse anytime he scolded them. Even their bodyguard Tony joined in on their shenanigans a few times. They knew that Charles wouldn't actually turn the bus around so they screwed around with him until he sent them the look that was usually reserved for his grandchildren, efficiently shutting both men up. Wes was the only one to see the satisfied grin on Charles' face when David and Jeff finally left him alone and all Wes could do was laugh. Three straight months on the road with Charles was going to be hilarious.

It took them roughly three days to make it to Ohio, crossing the state line around two in the morning on Saturday. Blaine had taken a nap in the afternoon, waking up at midnight completely wired. He sat in what was considered the dining room, tapping away on the table as he watched the world go by through the window. When he first woke up, he thought the reason he was so alert was because of how long he'd slept. But as they got closer and closer to Ohio, he realized it was because of an entirely different reason.

"How much longer till we're in Columbus?" Blaine asked Charles for the third time.

"About ten minutes. Now quit asking me," Charles grumbled, though his tone was friendly.

Blaine smiled eagerly to himself, only turning away from the window when he heard the door behind him open. "Hey, what are you guys doing up?"

Wes and David shuffled in on one side of the booth while Jeff and Nick slid into the other. "We wanted to be awake for this too," Wes said gently through a yawn. Blaine smiled at his friends and turned his attention back out the window.

They were silent for the next few minutes, the reality of who they now were and how they got there setting in. So much had happened in the six years of their career and it was moments like this that it really hit them. They all knew Blaine was meant for stardom but not once had the others believed they were too. As they drove past Goodale Park and thought back on the day Eric discovered them, they knew they wouldn't change a thing.

"Charlie, pull over!" Jeff shouted excitedly.

"What? Why?" Charles asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Because this is where we were discovered!" Jeff said, quickly walking over to him. "Seriously, man. Pull over. Radio the others to keep going but you have to pull over!"

Charlie glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing the eager, pleading faces of the others before nodding. "Alright, alright."

"YES!" Jeff shouted, running to the back of the bus to grab two guitars. "Nicky get the camera!"

Nick grabbed the camera and slipped his shoes on, waiting excitedly for Charles to park the bus. The other buses continued driving and Eric's SUV pulled up behind Charles. He didn't need to ask to know what was going on. If anything, he was disappointed that he didn't think of it himself. He followed the guys through the empty park, recalling his own memories of that day. He and The Warblers had certainly come far. Blaine led them to the spot the guys found him so many years before, closing his eyes and breathing in the moment.

"Well look who it is."

Blaine turned around at the sound of David's voice, completely stunned when he saw his best friends. "What are you guys doing here?" he breathed.

"Looking for you," David said as he pulled Blaine in for a hug. "We've been searching for you for days, man. We were starting to get scared."

"How'd you find me?" Blaine wondered. "How did you even know I was here?"

"We went to your house and your dad said you were gone," Wes said worriedly. "We asked him where but he wouldn't tell us anything."

"Yeah we had to wait until your parents were gone to ask Ms. Jan and she filled us in," Jeff added.

"Why didn't you call us, Blaine?" Nick asked sadly. "We could've helped you out."

Blaine shrugged slightly as he hugged the rest of the guys. "I didn't want to be a burden. Besides, I wanted to prove to them, to him, that I could do this. I'm going to prove it to him."

Nick raised a brow. "By singing in the park for money?" he asked with a smirk.

"Gotta start somewhere right?" Blaine sighed, running his hands through his hair.

The others looked at each other, giving Wes a slight nod before turning back to Blaine. Wes smiled. "Well then, why don't we sing with you for a little while and then we'll go talk?"

Blaine smiled appreciatively and nodded. "Thanks, guys."

"Blaine," Jeff's voice broke through his reverie, turning to face him and seeing the guys set up with his and Nick's guitars and David's bongos. "You ready?"

Blaine nodded with a bright smile. "Yeah." He grabbed his guitar, strumming a few strings before glancing at Eric and nodding to press record. "Ok so, this is Where It All Began tour log numberâ32?" he asked glancing at Wes.

"32? I thought this was 33?" Wes asked bemused.

Blaine shook his head. "No, we had to delete the last one because Jeff was being whiny about it," he teased.

"I wasn't being whiny," Jeff instantly defended. "I just didn't like the way my hair looked, ok?"

Wes rolled his eyes and laughed. "Whatever. Yes, Blaine. 32."

Blaine turned back to the camera. "Right, log 32. Now, you may be asking yourself, why are The Warblers in a park in the middle of the night? Well the reason for that, our darling fans, is because we've just arrived in Columbus and we are now standing in the very spot where we were discovered by the very man who is holding the camera," Eric chuckled and zoomed in a bit. "And since this is where it all began, we're going to sing a little, just for memories sake."

"You may or may not know this song but it was what we sang here so many years ago," Nick smiled.

"And what better way to commemorate such an important event in our lives than by singing the song that discovered us?" Jeff questioned, winking at the camera before Blaine and Nick started strumming their guitars.

Eric walked over to a nearby bench and stood on it to get a better angle for the video, Tony standing in the background and keeping an eye on things while Charlie leaned against the bus to watch the guys sing.

Blaine:

Baby set me free from this misery

I can't take it no more

Since you went away nothing's been the same

Don't know what I'm living for

Here I am so alone

And there's nothing in this world I can do

Warblers:

Until you're back here baby

Miss you want you need you so

Until you're back here baby yeah

There's a feeling inside I want you to know

You are the one and I can't let you go

David:

So I told you lies even made you cry

Baby I was so wrong

Girl I promise you now my love is true

This is where my heart belongs

Cause here I am so alone

And there's nothing in this world I can do

Warblers:

Until you're back here baby

Miss you want you need you so

Until you're back here baby yeah

There's a feeling inside I want you to know

You are the one and I can't let you go

Wes and David:

And I wonder

Jeff :

Are you thinking of me cause I'm thinking of you

Wes and David:

And I wonder

Nick:

Are you ever coming back in my life?

Warblers:

Cause here I am so alone

And there's nothing in this world I can do

Eric stepped off the bench and walked closer to The Warblers as they finished the song. The first time he'd seen them perform it, they were young boys, having just graduated high school a few weeks prior. Now they were grown men with a sold out world tour and three bestselling albums under their belt. He couldn't be prouder.

"That was great guys," Eric commented as he shut the camera off. "This log will definitely go into the DVD. The fans will love it."

"Man, by the time this is over we're going to have over a thousand videos to edit," David laughed as he took a picture of himself and Wes with his phone.

"We should probably start editing them soon, just to keep them in order," Wes suggested.

David nodded. "Word."

"Can we go now?" Charles shouted from the bus. "I wanna go to sleep!"

The guys laughed and started heading back to the bus, with the exception of Blaine who continued to walk the path, stopping underneath a tree as more memories flooded his mind.

(Be a man)

We must be swift as

the Coursing river

(Be a man)

With all the force

of a great typhoon

(Be a man)

With all the strength

of a raging fire

Mysterious as the

dark side of the moon

Blaine bowed as the little boy whose eyes shone brighter than the stars clapped for him, a small laugh escaping his lips. The boy's enthusiasm was infectious.

"That was amazing," the little boy gushed. "When you become a huge star, I'm going to be your biggest fan. I promise!"

Blaine smiled adoringly at the little boy and for the first time in weeks, he felt truly happy.

"Blaine, let's go!" Eric shouted out for him. Blaine took a quick picture of where he stood and ran back to the bus, a new sort of ease setting in.

Kurt awoke early Saturday morning, slowly opening his eyes but didn't move. He could feel the itching on his wrist, the telltale sign of his soulmate's name forever etched on his skin and still, he didn't move. Instead he tried focusing on the fact that he would be meeting The Warblers in a matter of hours. The men that had taught him so many things about himself, helped him become strong and confident, would be within touching distance of him but at that moment, he couldn't care less.

He tried to care, to get excited for the day ahead. He tried to focus on the fact that David would most likely say some hilariously inappropriate joke when they met and Wes would more than likely scold him for it. Or how Santana was probably going to flail when she saw Jeff and Nick. Or the way Blaine's breathtakingly beautiful eyes were going to make him swoon. But he couldn't. All he could focus on was the incessant itching on his wrist, his soulmate's name taunting him. After a few moments of trying to ignore it, Kurt finally decided to take a look. At least this way, he could get it over with and finally get excited for the best concert of his life.

Kurt closed his eyes, praying to whoever held the magic over soulmates that it wasn't someone he hated, and brought his wrist up to his face. He breathed deeply, cautiously opening his eyes, only to shut them immediately. No. It can't be. It has to be a mistake. He tried to stay calm, slowly inhaling and exhaling in an attempt to stop his heart from beating out of his chest. He opened his eyes once more, begging his tired and obviously overworked mind from playing tricks on him because there was just no way in hell the name on his wrist was real. But there it was, in perfectly scripted letters identical to the man's signature:

Blaine D. Anderson

Kurt shot up in his bed, panic suddenly coursing through him, and screamed. "DAD!" he shouted, his eyes darting back and forth between his wrist and the poster of Blaine on his wall. "DAD!" Burt rushed into Kurt's room, finding his son frantically shaking his head. "Tell me it's not real! Tell me I'm seeing things!" he begged, his eyes closed, his arm outstretched to his dad.

Burt took hold of Kurt's hand and froze. He certainly didn't see this coming. "Uhâ"

Kurt's eyes shot open. "What do you mean, uh?!" he asked, snatching his arm away. "It's not real! It can't be real!" Kurt jumped out of bed and ran to his bathroom. He turned the sink on, squirting a large amount of soup on his wrist before roughly scrubbing. "It's not real. It's not real," he mumbled, his breathing labored.

Burt walked over to him, his own head spinning from what it all meant. "Son, you need to calm down," he said as evenly as he could manage.

"I'll calm down when this washes off," Kurt muttered, scrubbing with desperation as Blaine's name refused to leave his skin. In fact, the more he scrubbed, the more prominent the name appeared to be.

Burt grabbed hold of Kurt's hands, forcing his son to stop scrubbing. He let the water run over Kurt's hands, washing away the soap before grabbing the towel on the rack. He turned Kurt's body so he was facing him and dried off his shaking hands.

"It's not real. It can't be real," Kurt whispered, his voice trembling.

"Kurt-"

"No," Kurt interrupted, finally looking away from his wrist and staring into his father's eyes. "It can't be real. This is a mistake. It's my fault and now I've screwed everything up!"

"How is this your fault?" Burt asked seriously.

Kurt gulped. "Because last night, before I fell asleep, I wished that Blaine was my soulmate and nowâ" he trailed off, unable to say the words. Unable to believe them.

Burt shook his head. "It doesn't work like that son," he said gently.

"How do you know?" Kurt shouted, his whole body shaking. "The first soulmates happened because they wished it. How do you know that I didn't wish it so hard that it came true?!"

"Because it doesn't work like that Kurt," Burt repeated firmly, looking squarely into Kurt's eyes. "You need to listen to me, son. In order for you to have wished Blaine as your soulmate means that his soulmate's name would have to be changed and that doesn't happen. Besides, if it did work like that then my soulmate would've been Valerie Bertinelli, not your mom."

"Butâthis has to be a mistake, right?" Kurt asked, his heart racing a mile a minute. "Or it's a different Blaine Anderson, right? It's not that Blaine, it can't be."

Burt shrugged apologetically. "I mean, I guess it could be a different Blaine, but I highly doubt it Kurt."

Kurt gripped his chest with one hand, the other holding onto his father to keep him from falling to the floor. "What am I going to do?" he asked just above a whisper.

"You're going to tell him," Burt said with authority so Kurt knew that he had no choice in the matter. "You will introduce yourself to him and you will carry yourself with class and dignity. Do not scream or act like some crazed fan."

Kurt started to nod but frantically shook his head instead. "I don't know if I can do that," he squeaked. "I-I don't i-if I canâ" Kurt closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing.

"You can," Burt assured him. "You are a Hummel and us Hummel men can do anything we put our minds to. Just go in there with confidence and you'll be fine. Alright?" Kurt nodded slowly, though the absolute last thing he felt was confident. "Ok then. I'm going to go talk to Carole and we're going to get your birthday breakfast started. You gonna be ok?" Again Kurt nodded but said nothing. Burt pulled him into a tight hug. "I love you son. Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," Kurt whispered shakily as they parted. Burt offered him an encouraging smile before walking out of the room.

Burt heard Kurt scream just moments after he shut the door. He scratched his head, his own panic setting in. His son's soulmate was a rockstar! And not just any rockstar, but one of the biggest rockstars around. There was no way the media wasn't going to get wind of this. What the hell were they going to do?

"Burt?" Carole's voice caught his attention. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Burt gulped. "Blaine Anderson," he whispered.

"I'm sorry?"

"His soulmate, Carole. Blaine D. Anderson," Burt said, his eyes wide.

Carole gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my God."

Finn watched from his bedroom door as Burt and his mom talked in whispers. He had barely slept that night, too worried about what would happen with Kurt. And watching their parents have a freak out of their own made him a thousand times more worried. Man I hope it's not Karofsky. Finn waited until Burt and his mom walked downstairs before scurrying to Kurt's room. He knocked cautiously and opened the door to find Kurt pacing.

"Dude, you ok?" he asked as he walked into the room. Kurt looked at him with wide, frantic eyes before screaming again. Finn winced. "Is it that bad?"

Kurt walked over to him, fisting his shirt with his right hand, his left hand hidden behind him. "Bro Code, Finn. Say the Bro Code," he demanded.

Finn gulped nervously. "I, Finn Hudson, brother of Kurt Hummel, promise to keep my mouth shut about what I'm about to be told or I will feel the wrath of Santana Lopez," he recited, already dreading what the fiery Latina would do to him if he spilled the beans of Kurt's soulmate. Kurt took a shaky breath and revealed his wrist. Finn stared for a moment, his eyes shifting over to the poster before looking back at Kurt. "What's Blaine's middle name?"

"Devon," Kurt answered before screaming again only this time, Finn screamed with him.

"Dude! This is so freaking cool! My future bro-in-law is a rockstar!" Finn shouted excitedly. Kurt shook his head, muttering to himself that it wasn't real. "Why aren't you excited about this? This is like, the best thing that has ever happened to you!" Kurt could only stare at Finn. "Oh wait, you're probably in shock still," he nodded. "Ok, I'm gonna leave you alone to like, deal with this and I'm going to look Blaine up. I gotta know more about him!"

Finn ran out of the room and all Kurt could do was scream again. This could not be happening.

Burt and Carole glanced at each other as Kurt's screams traveled downstairs. They got the feeling that they would have to get used to the screaming for a little while.

Kurt ate his traditional birthday breakfast in silence, his family watching him cautiously as if he would erupt at any given moment. As soon as he was done, he ran upstairs to his room and grabbed his laptop. He didn't bother to check his phone or his Twitter and went straight to Google to search for answers. After an hour of reading and rereading, Kurt learned that his father was right. The chance of there being another Blaine D. Anderson in the world was highly unlikely. The hospitals had a delicate system when it came to naming children so that mistakes with soulmates were never made. And no amount of wishing could change destiny. Blaine Anderson is his soulmate, whether he wanted to believe it or not.

He finally grabbed his phone, ignoring the Twitter notifications and texts and went straight to his contacts to call Santana.

"Yo, Hummel. I just woke-"

"Get your ass over here now!" Kurt shouted frantically.

"Damn, don't be yelling at me," Santana griped. "I just woke up. Don't be rushing me," she snapped though she was already getting out of bed.

"Santana, I needed you over here like, an hour ago," Kurt said, his voice full of panic. "I need you, now!"

Santana was quiet for a moment, sensing Kurt's urgency. "I'm on my way. I'll be there in fifteen."

Kurt hung up and went to toss his phone aside but stopped. His lip quivered as he clicked on his Twitter app. He had a few mentions wishing him a happy birthday but all he could think about was the tweet from Blaine. He hadn't read it yet but he knew it was from sometime last night. With shaky hands, Kurt went to Blaine's profile, his eyes tearing up when he saw the tweet.

WarblerBlaineAnderson: To the little boy who helped me out at this very spot so many years ago, thank you for being my good luck charm.

Attached to the tweet was a picture of Goodale Park, the exact spot where he and Blaine met the first time. Kurt started to cry. Not only had Blaine remembered him, had been thinking of him last night while his name etched itself onto Kurt's skin, but he called Kurt his good luck charm. He hasn't been anyone's good luck charm in over nine years. Could this really be happening? Was Blaine Anderson really his soulmate? Kurt couldn't believe it. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Blaine freaking Anderson, the most beautiful, most soulful man in the world was meant to be his. And until he knew for sure, until he saw his own name etched on Blaine's skin, he wouldn't believe it.

Santana made it to the Hummel's in record time, barely turning off the engine before jumping out the car. She knocked on the front door frantically. Kurt's phone call left her on edge and she was terrified for her best friend.

Burt opened the door and ushered Santana in, a wary smile in place. "Good morning, Tana," he greeted, kissing her cheek.

"Morning, Papa H.," Santana replied, her eyes frantically searching for Kurt.

"He's in his room. Has been all morning," Burt informed her.

"Is it that bad?" she asked panicking.

Burt sighed. "Go see for yourself."

Santana ran upstairs, not bothering to knock before running into Kurt's room. Kurt looked up from his laptop, moving it to the side and jumping out of bed, running straight into Santana's arms.

"Shh, it's ok," she cooed as he panicked in her arms. "It's ok baby. Everything's going to be fine."

Kurt shook his head. "This isn't happening. It can't be happening."

Santana pulled back, cupping Kurt's face. "Breathe, Kurt. You gotta breathe," Kurt took deep breaths, desperately trying to calm down. "You wanna tell me who it is?"

Kurt shook his head again, handing Santana his wrist. "I justâI can't."

Santana glanced at the cuff warily, grabbing hold of Kurt's arm and bringing him over to the bed to sit. "How shocked am I gonna be here?" she asked, gingerly picking up his hand. Kurt choked out a laugh, his eyes shifting to the poster behind Santana before looking back at her. Santana looked behind her and quickly turned around, her eyes wide. "Kurt?" he said nothing, his eyes urging her to remove the cuff. Santana unclipped it and let it slid off, inhaling sharply when she saw Blaine's name. "No. Fucking. Way."

"He tweeted last night, when they arrived to Columbus," Kurt said shakily. "He was at the park, where we first met. He thanked me, called me his good luck charm," he said, grabbing his phone to show Santana the tweet. "What am I going to do? I'm totally screwed!"

"Wait, whoa," Santana held her hand up as she tried to calm her suddenly racing heart. She couldn't freak out right now. Kurt needed her to stay calm. "How exactly are you screwed?"

"Because he's Blaine fucking Anderson!" Kurt screeched. "I'm just Kurt, a nobody. A teenage virgin! What the hell would Blaine-probably-been-with-a-ton-of-sexy-ass-guys-a nd-has-a-shitload-of-experience-Anderson want with me? He's a grown ass man, Tana! I'm just some kid! What's he going to say when he finds out? He's probably expecting this amazing guy and instead he's getting me! He's going to be so disappointed!"

"Are you crazy?" Santana asked incredulously. "Blaine's going to fucking love you," Kurt opened his mouth to argue but Santana cut him off. "One, you're his soulmate, Kurt. The love of his life. He's been without you for years. He's going to be ecstatic when he finds you! And two, any guy would be lucky to be with you. You're fucking incredible!"

"No, Tana-"

"Yes, Kurt," Santana interrupted. "Listen to what I'm saying. He's not going to care how old you are or how inexperienced you are. All he's gonna care about is the fact that you are his. You know Blaine. You've internet stalked him for years and you know he's one of the most kind-hearted people around. He's not going to brush you off. If anything, he'll sweep you off your feet and make you feel like a damn prince. I mean, shit, Kurt! You're living a damn fairytale!"

Kurt shook his head fervently, his eyes closed. "This isn't happening. This can't be happening."

"Oh, it's happening," Santana said as she stood up. "You better get it through that pretty little head of yours that this is real because we have exactly two hours to get ready and go."

Kurt covered his face with his hands. "Oh God," he groaned.

"Come on, let's go," Santana grabbed Kurt's arm and forced him to stand. "Go shower. Take a hot one. Or a cold one. Or fuck it, go jerk off. Do whatever the hell you need to do to calm yourself because we need to get going."

Santana walked Kurt over to his bathroom, practically shoving him through the door. "Tana," he said, his voice breaking.

"Everything's going to be fine," she assured him. "Now go." Kurt offered her a small but grateful smile before closing the door behind him.

The moment Santana heard the shower running, she ran out of Kurt's room and straight over to Finn's. She closed the door behind her, ignoring the confused look on Finn's face, and screamed.

"I guess you found out, huh?" Finn asked with smirk.

Santana jumped on his bed, kneeling at the end. "Finn, Blaine Anderson. His soulmate is Blaine Anderson!" she squealed.

"I know!" Finn said excitedly. "I've been researching him and he's a really cool dude."

"I just can't believe it. I was scared as hell this morning and nowâshit! I don't even know!" Santana laughed.

"Dude, right!" Finn laughed along. "Man, just wait until everyone finds out."

Santana's demeanor changed instantly. She stood up and towered over Finn, her finger pointed directly at his face. "Finn Hudson, I swear if you even think about telling anyone, I will grab you by the balls-"

Finn raised his hands in surrender. "Whoa, ok. Calm down. I already said the Bro Code. I'm not telling anyone," he assured her. "But people are going to find out, Santana. He's Blaine Anderson. It's going to get out eventually."

Santana narrowed her eyes and cursed, backing away from Finn. "I forgot about that. But whatever, it's fine. Everything's going to be fine."

"You trying to convince me or yourself?" Finn asked with a raised brow.

Santana sent him her signature bitch glare. "Shut up Pillsbury Dough Turd," she spat before walking out of his room.

"Thanks for stopping by," Finn grumbled after her and turned back to his laptop to continue watching Warbler videos.

Two hours later, Kurt stood in front of his full length mirror in the outfit he bought the day before. "Should I go with the leather jacket or the Jedidiah?"

"Definitely the leather jacket," Santana said, grabbing it from Kurt's closet to hand to him. She was wearing a short black strapless dress, her leather jacket, and knee high boots. She wanted Kurt to feel just as sexy and as confident as she did.

Kurt grabbed the jacket and put it on, giving himself a once over before walking over to his bed and sitting down, his arms wrapped around his stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"No, no, no," Santana knelt down in front of him, her hands on his knees. "It's going to be fine, Kurt. Everything's going to be great. You'll see."

"I can't do this," Kurt shook his head, his breathing labored as he started to panic again.

"You can and you will," Santana said firmly. "Now let's go. We don't wanna be late."

Kurt gulped and nodded. "Ok, let's go."

A/N: See ya in two weeks. Maybe sooner. :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Song: Back Here â" BBMak

Living the Teenage Dream

A/N: My beautiful, wonderful readers! I love you so damn much! You don't even know!

Ok so like, I had no intention of updating this yet, but you've all begged the hell outta me for this chapter so I went ahead and posted. I will NOW take my two week hiatus. The next chapter will be up no later than July 5th. Sooner if I get the next few chapters done as quickly as I think I will.

To the reviewer who asked me to explain the signed wrists, Blaine's cursive signature is what is on Kurt's wrist just like Kurt's cursive signature is on Blaine's wrist. Also, there's no way of faking someone's name in this world. The left wrist is bound by the soulmate magic so even if someone tattooed a name on their left wrist, it would instantly disappear.

Enjoy the chapter my lovely readers. This one contains the tumblr posts. See you in two weeks. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It's not even 6am and look at this line! Damn I'm glad I came early! [photo]

-OMG ARE YOU AT THE WARBLERS CONCERT! YOU'RE SO LUCKY!

-There's seriously already that many people there?! Are you kidding me?! The show doesn't even start until 7:30! I gotta get my dad to hurry the hell up!

OMG! THEIR BUS! IT'S HERE! Aiulgsikahfilrwghkjsab [photo]

-AAAAHHH! SO EXCITED FOR YOU! so jealous I hate you!

NIFF! IT'S NIFF! And they're holding hands! I'M DYING! [photo]

-ASWGQELAGRLQEH OMFG!

-Fuck me upside down! HOLY SHIT THEY ARE SO HOT!

-OTP!

The drive from Lima to Columbus was mostly silent with the exception of a random comment here or there and The Warblers' album playing on the radio. Santana knew that Kurt was having a hard time accepting the fact that Blaine was his soulmate so she left him to his thoughts, hoping he could come to terms with it. But Kurt wasn't coming to terms with it. The more he thought about it, the more he told himself that Blaine was meant to be his, the crazier he felt. And the closer they got to Columbus, the more panicked he became.

"You know, with all the excitement this morning, I didn't get the chance to give you your birthday present," Santana said nonchalantly as they drove down the highway, knowing he needed the distraction, an evil looking smirk playing at her lips.

Kurt raised his brow, glancing in the back to see a blue gift bag on the seat. "Why do I get the feeling that I should be scared?"

Santana gasped, placing a hand over her heart. "Why would you be scared?" she asked way too innocently. Kurt narrowed his eyes but Santana kept a sweet smile on her face. "Come on, open it. It'll keep your mind off the fact that we'll be arriving in approximately fifteen minutes," she sing-songed.

Kurt sighed loudly, reached into the backseat, and grabbed his gift. He didn't even bother trying to guess what Santana got him and immediately started removing the tissue paper. The first thing he pulled out was a black jewelry box, his eyes softening when he saw the baby penguin brooch.

"Tana, it's beautiful," he smiled, his fingers running gently over it. Santana smiled proudly, eyeing the bag as Kurt pulled out the next gift, a big square box. "Why is this so heavy?" he asked suspiciously. Santana shrugged but said nothing. He opened the box cautiously choking on air when he saw its contents. "SANTANA MARIA LOPEZ, HOW DARE YOU?!" he screeched. Inside was a large box of condoms, three bottles of different flavored lubes, a whip, and a pair of fuzzy handcuffs.

Santana laughed, enjoying the deep shade of red on Kurt's cheeks. "What? You're 18, Kurt. I figured this was a good way to introduce you to the sexual side of life. Plus, you have yourself a fine ass man to claim. Now you can."

Kurt shook his head, unable to stop himself from laughing as he set the box aside. "No way, Satan. Absolutely not!"

"Don't be such a prude," Santana rolled her eyes. "There's one more box in there."

"Oh god," Kurt grumbled into his hands. "I'm too scared to look."

"It's the best one," Santana sang.

Kurt groaned, biting his lip nervously as he pulled out the rectangular box. "Tana," he whined.

"Just open it," she laughed. Kurt slowly opened the lid but before he could look inside, Santana reached over, grabbed the box and flipped it upside down, its contents falling into Kurt's lap. Kurt squealed, a high pitched nervous laugh wracking through his body. "It's called the Ass-Berry Raspberry. It's meant for beginners so it's perfect for you. It's waterproof too."

"Oh my god," Kurt muttered through his fit of giggles, grabbing the pink, raspberry designed vibrator and quickly tossing it inside the gift bag. "What if my dad finds it? Or Finn?!"

Santana laughed wildly. "Dear Lord, if Finn finds itâoh my god! What if he tries to eat it?!"

"NO!" Kurt shouted, covering his ears. "Don't say that! I can't!"

Kurt spent the next few minutes trying to ignore Santana as she came up with all the different scenarios of Finn finding the vibrator, laughing uncontrollably as each scenario worsened. He begged her to stop, holding his sides from laughing so hard. Only when Santana took the Columbus exit did she finally let up, her excitement for the concert taking over. Kurt however went from laughing to panicking all over again. Needing to distract himself for as long as possible, he broached a topic that had been on his mind for a few weeks.

"So what's going on with you and Quinn?" he asked, his stomach in knots as they quickly approached the arena.

Santana raised a brow. "What do you mean?" she questioned, her tone slightly defensive.

"I mean that you two have been joined at the hip lately," Kurt commented with a raised brow.

"Yeahâand?" Santana pushed, needing to know exactly what Kurt was getting at.

"And I want to make sure you aren't transferring your feelings for Brittany unto Q," Kurt snapped, the arena coming into view.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Santana asked incredulously. "That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard. Quinn's straight."

Kurt scoffed, wringing his hands nervously. "You and I both know that's not exactly true."

Santana rolled her eyes, pulling into the arena entrance. "That was one time and we were all drunk. So she got a little curious when Britt and I started fooling around, so what? That doesn't mean anything."

Kurt raised an unconvinced brow. "Yeah, ok."

Santana chose to ignore him. She didn't need to think about how close she and Quinn had gotten lately. Or how she'd been dreaming of her almost every night for a week straight. Instead she focused on the crowd that was already gathered outside the arena. "Fuck that's a lot of people."

Kurt gulped and nodded, his eyes shifting to the building where The Warblers were already inside. Santana parked her car but neither made any attempt to get out. "Oh my god," Kurt muttered, his breathing labored. "I think I'm going to throw up." Kurt expected Santana to threaten him, to bitch at him for being a wimp. So when she said nothing, he quickly turned to see her staring wide-eyed at the stadium. "Tana?"

"They're in there," she whispered almost eerily. "Niffâthey're in thereâright nowâprobably cuddling o-or m-making outâoh my godâ"

"Tana," Kurt repeated, reaching for her hand. Santana wasn't one to lose her cool. She spent years perfecting her tough exterior. But when it came to The Warblers, specifically Nick and Jeff, even she couldn't escape the fangirl inside.

Santana shook her head frantically. "I can'tâoh my godâno, no, no, no, no."

"Whoa ok, you gotta calm down," Kurt said as he cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. "You promised me you'd have a handle on this. You swore you'd be here to keep me from losing my shit and I cannot do that if you don't calm the hell down!" he shouted.

"The Warblers, they're in there Kurtâhe's in there," Santana said wide-eyed. "Blaine fucking Anderson, your soulmate, is in there, waiting for you!"

Kurt took a few shallow breaths before they both screamed at the top of their lungs. "Ok, alright. We justâwe gotta calm down. We have to relax," he removed his hands from Santana's face, both closing their eyes, inhaling deeply. "You good?" he asked, his voice going an octave higher.

Santana nodded, though really, her heart was hammering in her chest. "Yeah, totally. You?"

Kurt chuckled anxiously and shook his head. "No, not in the least bit. But we have to get inside soâfuck it. Let's justâlet's just get in there before I pass out."

Santana gulped, turning her attention back to the arena. "Ok. Let's go."

Blaine stood at the back of the arena by the entrance doors, leaning against the wall and listening to their fans chant for them. Somewhere out there amongst the throng of people, his soulmate was waiting for him. He tried not to get his hopes up, but Blaine was convinced that his Kurt would be at their show tonight. And while he was ecstatic at the thought, he was also worried that the chance to meet his beloved would come and go without him even realizing it.

"Blaine," Eric called out as he approached him. "What are you doing? The fan hangout is about to start."

"He's out there," Blaine said just above a whisper, Eric barely catching it. "I can feel it. I know he is. What if I miss him? What if he walks right past me or I look right at him and not even realize it's him?"

Eric smiled understandingly. "My offer still stands," he said gently, placing a hand on Blaine's shoulder. "I know you want it to happen naturally but if you're really that worriedâ"

Blaine thought it over for only a moment before removing his cuff and handing Eric his wrist. "Don't tell me when you find him. Just make sure I don't miss him."

Eric read the name and nodded. "I'll do what I can. Now go finish getting ready."

Blaine offered him a small but appreciative smile, snapped his cuff back on, and hurried backstage. Eric waited until Blaine was out of earshot before quickly grabbing their crew's walkie-talkie.

"I need you guys to check the ID of every male over 18 years old. We need to find Kurt E. Hummel," he instructed.

"Kurt E. Hummel?" Tony, who was in charge of checking VIP ticket holders in, asked.

"Yes."

"The last two Ultimate VIP holders just checked in. He was one of them," Tony radioed back.

Eric grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks, Tony. I'll take it from here."

Kurt and Santana were taken backstage to a waiting room with eight other fans. The room was large with a few couches and a table with drinks and snacks. They kept to themselves, standing at the farthest corner of the room while the others stood close by the door, eager to talk with The Warblers. Santana kept her eyes on the door while Kurt fidgeted with his cuff, doing his best not to have a panic attack. The door opened and everyone went silent when Eric walked in.

"Hello everyone, thank you for joining us today," he greeted with a smile, his eyes scanning their faces until they landed on Kurt, the only over 18 boy in the room. Eric's smile widened. "I need to go over a few things before the guys come in so let's get to it. You will have one hour to speak with them and take pictures. I ask that you don't hog their attention, let them work the room. I assure you everyone will have a chance to talk with them so don't worry if you don't get them right as they come in. Afterwards, you will be escorted to your seats where you'll watch them and the band have sound check. Once that's done, they will go off to the regular meet and greet and you are to stay in the stadium. The doors for general admission open at 6 and the show is scheduled to start at 7:30. It is now," he paused for a moment to look at his watch. "12:00, so we're in for a long day. Everyone good?" the small group nodded. "Good. They will be here in just a few minutes," he said with a final look Kurt's way before walking out.

Kurt turned to Santana, his back to the door. "I don't think I can do this," he whispered frantically.

"You can and you will," Santana whispered back harshly. "Calm the fuck down. You got this," Kurt closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Santana gasped. "Oh my god."

Kurt quickly turned around as The Warblers walked in, Jeff and Nick first, followed by David and Wes, and finally Blaine. He stood frozen as he watched his beloved greet the girls that bombarded them the moment they walked in, only half conscious of the death grip Santana had on his arm. Any and all anxiety he felt was gone and all he could do was stare in awe. Blaine was even more breathtaking than he remembered.

"They are so damn pretty," he heard Santana whisper in his ear and he knew she was talking about Nick and Jeff.

"Go talk to them," he whispered back, his eyes still glued on Blaine who was taking a picture with a fan.

"I can't!" Santana snapped though Kurt barely heard.

He was completely focused on Blaine, slowly walking towards him as if Blaine was a magnet and he was nothing but a tiny spec of metal. He watched Blaine sign some autographs and take a few group pictures. He watched as Blaine smiled sweetly at a little boy, his heart melting when Blaine high-fived him and laughed lightly at whatever the little boy had said. He noticed how Blaine seemed to keep to himself even when interacting with his fans, a warm smile in place but still somewhat reserved. It was one of his favorite things about Blaine. He was always cool and collected in his interviews but when it came to performing, he was passionate and free-spirited.

Blaine excused himself and walked to the snack table, neither noticing how Eric discreetly directed the other fans' attention away from Blaine as Kurt got closer to him. Blaine faced the snack table, keeping his back to the fans as he tried to push his nerves away. He had to keep reminding himself that he would meet his beloved when the time was right. He couldn't obsess over it. He needed to focus on the fans and the show.

"Blaine."

Blaine turned at the angelic voice, his breath hitching at the beautiful young man standing in front of him, instantly captivated by hauntingly familiar celestial blue eyes. "Hi," he greeted with a dreamy smile. "Have we met before? You look really familiar."

Kurt nodded slowly, licking his lips before speaking quietly. "Six years ago, you were playing at Goodale Park and me and my dad saw you. I uh, I was the little boy who gave you 50 dollars," Blaine's jaw dropped, his eyes not so subtly roaming down Kurt's body. "You asked me what my favorite Disney movie was and I said-"

"Mulan," Blaine cut in with a bright smile. "I sang I'll Make A Man Out of You. I remember," Kurt smiled softly, still in a daze. "This is incredible. I can't believe you're here. You've certainly grown up. Heck, you're even taller than me now," he said with a chuckle. "What's your name?" he asked, offering Kurt his hand to shake.

Kurt grabbed hold of Blaine's hand, shaking it slowly. "Kurt. Kurt Hummel."

Blaine inhaled sharply, his eyes wide. "What?" he breathed out.

Kurt gulped, stepping closer to Blaine, their hands still firmly attached. "My name. Kurt E. Hummel," he said just above a whisper, his voice breaking.

Blaine choked out a laugh, his eyes clouding over. "I don't believe itâIâcome on."

Blaine pulled Kurt by his hand and quickly exited the room. Kurt thought he heard Santana squeal but he couldn't be sure. Blaine ran them through a few different halls backstage, barely noticing the strange looks he received from the crew. Kurt was in too much shock to question where they were going. Part of him was certain he was dreaming. Blaine reached The Warblers' dressing room, hurried inside and closed the door behind them, only then letting go of Kurt's hand.

They stood a few feet apart for a moment, both breathing heavily. Blaine let his eyes wander down Kurt's body, replacing the little boy in his mind with the gorgeous man in front of him. Was it possible that the little boy he'd secretly made a promise to was also his soulmate? Could it be true that the stunning young man watching him with fearful eyes was truly his? It hurt his heart to see the fear and worry in Kurt's eyes, as if he was waiting for the rejection. Blaine finally stepped closer, slowly reaching for Kurt's left hand, unable to handle the uncertainty any longer.

"May I?" he asked gently. Kurt gulped and nodded, allowing Blaine to remove the cuff. Blaine laughed almost maniacally when he saw his name on Kurt's wrist, removing his own cuff, placing both on the coffee table next to them.

Kurt gasped at seeing his own name, a slow smile gracing his features. "It really is you," he breathed in shock, his eyes tearing up.

Blaine let out a laugh, pulling Kurt into his arms. Kurt could only melt into the embrace. "All this time, it was you," Blaine whispered, an almost pained tone to his voice. He held Kurt tightly, breathing in Kurt's scent, allowing himself to get lost in it. It felt like home. "I've been looking for you forever."

Blaine pulled back slightly, cupping Kurt's face with his left hand, pulling him into a deep kiss. Kurt moaned in surprise, his arms wrapping around Blaine's neck instinctively. The world around them stood still, their hearts beating to the same rhythm. Their souls danced as they connected, Blaine's tongue lapping over Kurt's, Kurt gasping as his entire being thrummed with passion and pleasure. They parted slowly, Blaine leaning his forehead on Kurt's, a breathy chuckle escaping his lips. Kurt held on to Blaine firmly, his head spinning from all the emotions coursing through his body, unable to control the tears that streamed down his cheeks.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Blaine asked worriedly, attempting to step back but stopping when Kurt held him close.

"Nothing," Kurt breathed out. "I'm just a little overwhelmed. I mean, I went to bed last night as your fan and nowânow you're my soulmate," he said in wonderment. "It's just a lot to take in."

Blaine smiled adoringly, his thumb wiping a tear away. "Today's your birthday?" Kurt nodded, a shy smile on his lips. "Well then, I promise to make this the best birthday you've ever had."

"It already is," Kurt replied, his eyes sparkling the same way they had been the first time they met.

Blaine chuckled softly, bringing Kurt's hand to his lips, kissing his fingers lightly. "Not yet it isn't. But it will be," he promised. Kurt ducked his head, his cheeks flushing. Blaine stroked his jawline, already falling in love with the way he blushed. "You're so beautiful. In all the years I've searched for you, I never imagined you being so stunning."

Kurt shrugged a bit. "I have a very thorough skin regimen," he teased with a smirk.

Blaine chuckled, his hand sliding to the back of Kurt's neck. "You're perfect," he whispered before leaning forward, their lips barely brushing when a knock on the door caught their attention.

"Sorry to interrupt," Eric said with a sly smirk. "Just want to make sure everything's ok."

"Everything's perfect," Blaine answered, his eyes locked with Kurt's. "Eric, this is Kurt, my soulmate. Kurt, this is our manager Eric."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kurt," Eric greeted with a nod.

"You too," Kurt replied breathlessly, the words my soulmate echoing in his mind.

Eric turned to Blaine with an apoplectic smile. "I hate to take you away but you have a room full of fans waiting to meet you, Blaine."

Blaine's shoulder slumped. "Shit," he swore, not wanting to leave Kurt's side but knowing he had a responsibility to his fans.

"It's ok," Kurt quickly assured him. "They paid a lot of money to see you, Blaine. I don't want to keep you from them."

Blaine smiled softly, his thumb gently grazing the back of Kurt's neck. "Do you want to come back in there with me or do you want to wait for me here?"

"I can wait here," Kurt replied shyly. "But my best friend's still in there. She knows about us too but she won't say anything, I promise. She's probably ogling Jeff and Nick at this very moment," he chuckled.

"What's her name?" Blaine asked, his arm still wrapped firmly around Kurt's waist.

"Santana Lopez. The Latina in the matching jacket," Kurt told him.

Blaine nodded. "I'll make sure she's taken care of. I'll be back soon. Make yourself at home. Just stay away from Wes' Jujubes," he joked though really, Wes was very protective of his candy.

"Ok," Kurt said with a small laugh. "Go greet your fans. I'll be here."

Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek lightly before reluctantly letting go, grabbing his cuff to snap back on and walking out of the room. Kurt stood in his spot, waiting a few minutes after Blaine and Eric left to flail. He didn't scream or squeal, but he did dance around in a circle, giggling excitedly. Blaine really was his soulmate! Blaine freaking Anderson, his idol, his fanboy dream, was truly his and he was Blaine's. What was the world coming to because seriously, things like this don't happen to Kurt Hummel.

Kurt grabbed his cuff off the table and clipped it back on before taking his jacket off and draping it on one of the chairs. He walked around the dressing room, grabbing a bottle of water from the food table before sitting down in the chair. He pulled his cellphone out and went to his Twitter. He scrolled through his timeline, clicking on the photo that Santana posted a few minutes prior. The picture was of her squished in-between Nick and Jeff, all three doing sexual faces with the tagline, NiffTana sandwich. WANKY.

He laughed and saved the picture before going into his profile to edit. He deleted his entire description and wrote one line, Living the teenage dream. He then changed his location from Lima, OH to Blaine's heart. He wasn't the only Warbler fan with that location, but his is the only one that held any truth to it and that made him giddy. Satisfied with the new description and location, he clicked out of Twitter, slid his phone back into his pocket, and sat back in the seat, a long sigh escaping his lips. Life as he knew it was over.

Approximately forty-five minutes later, Kurt was still seated in the same spot, a faraway look in his eyes as he daydreamed of all the things he and Blaine could experience together, all the adventures they could take. It wasn't until he suddenly had a lap full of Santana that he snapped out of it.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" She squealed excitedly, bouncing in his lap. When the hell did she get in here?

"I prefer Kurt but god works just as well," Kurt retorted, laughing when Santana slapped him.

"Shut up," she snapped playfully. "You totally missed it! Jeff and I had a dance off, which of course he won because he's Jeff freaking Sterling, but they recorded it and it was amazing! I think I'm in love," she sighed.

Kurt raised an amused brow, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Is this where I remind you that you're a lesbian?"

Santana crossed her legs, brushing off imaginary lint from her jacket then flipping her hair. "Totally irrelevant."

Kurt scoffed. "And what about the fact that Jeff's gay? And bonded with Nick? Is that relevant?"

"Damn, Hummel. Why you gotta burst my happy bubble?" Santana whined. "Besides, I'd totally be willing to get my sexy on with both. Nick's all sweet and dapper but I bet you anything he's a freak in bed," Kurt bit back a laugh as Santana imagined a night with them. "Anyway, how'd it go? I'm guessing well by the dazed look you had when I came in."

Kurt blushed under Santana's knowing gaze. "It was amazing, Tana. I all but fainted when I actually saw my name on his wrist," Santana squealed and bounced some more. "He kissed me," he said with a wide grin.

Santana screamed. "Oh my god, how was it?!"

"It wasâI don't even know," Kurt breathed out. "My head is still spinning! It was so passionate, like romantic movie passionate! And he called me beautiful! I swear to god I was putty in his hands," he sighed.

Santana smiled at the blissed out look on Kurt's face. If anyone deserved this much happiness it was him. "So, what now?" she wondered.

"I don't know," Kurt shrugged. "I've been in here the whole time. Did he say anything to you?"

"Just that you were ok and I'd see you later," she told him. "The rest of the group was being escorted to their seats for sound check and I was brought here. Oh! Everyone also got these cool gift bags with Warbler merchandise but Blaine took ours, said we get special ones."

Just then the door opened, Blaine walking in eagerly with his friends close behind. "What's all this?" he asked teasingly, raising a brow at Santana and Kurt's position.

Santana snorted with amusement as Kurt pushed her off, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "As if that's the worst position we've been caught in," she muttered.

"Shut up, Satan," Kurt snapped under his breath, standing up from the chair.

Blaine smirked at the two, curious about Santana's comment but deciding to ask Kurt later. He held out his hand towards Kurt, beckoning him over. Kurt walked to him, a shy smile in place, and grabbed hold on Blaine's hand. Blaine kissed his cheek gently and nuzzled his neck. "Hi," he spoke quietly, completely unaware of his friends watching them.

"Hi," Kurt replied just as quietly, immediately getting lost in Blaine's deep hazel eyes.

"Are you gonna introduce us to our newest homey or are you just gonna stare at each other lovingly until we puke from all the cuteness," David teased good-naturedly, Kurt ducking as everyone laughed.

"Seriously, you're painfully adorable and that's saying something coming from me," Jeff said as he pulled Nick closer.

"Damn, would you two just fuck already?" Santana all but purred, her eyes glued on Jeff and Nick.

"Santana!" Kurt admonished, his eyes wide. "I'm sorry guys, she doesn't have a filter," he said sending Santana his, bitch you better behave, look. She shrugged uncaringly.

"We know," they all said simultaneously and laughed. Kurt groaned. God only knows what she said without me there to shut her up.

"Anyway," Blaine started, finally turning away from Kurt and to his friends. "Guys, this is Kurt, my soulmate," Kurt was never going to get used to hearing that. "Kurt, these are my best friends, Wes, David, Nick, and Jeff."

"It's great to finally meet you, Kurt," Wes shook his hand, smiling politely. "Blaine has been a lost puppy for much too long," he teased.

"Word," David nodded, fist bumping Kurt.

"Now Kurt, maybe you can help us out here," Jeff started, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You see, we've been trying to get Blaine to stop using a pound of gel in his hair since high school and he just won't listen to us. Do you think you could fix that orâ"

Blaine smacked Jeff on the back of his head, laughing at the undignified noise he made. "Shut up, Jeffery."

"Nicky, he hurt me," Jeff pouted into Nick's shoulder.

"It's ok baby. I'll make it up to you later," Nick assured him with a wink.

"Wanky," Santana grinned.

"So Kurt, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" Wes asked, choosing to ignore his ridiculous friends and attempt to make Kurt feel welcomed.

"Um, I don't really know what to say," Kurt chuckled nervously when the attention turned on him. "I'm 18, I'm a senior at McKinley, and um, I'm a cheerleader."

Santana scoffed. "More like the cheerleader," she cut in. "If I didn't love you so damn much I'd push you off the top of the pyramid myself, oh captain my captain."

Blaine raised a surprised brow. "You're cheerleading captain?"

Kurt half shrugged, though he wore a proud smile. "I am. Tana and I are on the Cheerios together."

"That's right. Porcelain here is the top bitch. We're known as His Royal Highness and The Unholy Trinity." As soon as the words slipped out, Santana's face dropped. They weren't The Unholy Trinity, not anymore. Kurt sent her a sad smile, Jeff watching their exchange curiously. "Anyway, we're national champs," she bragged, flipping her hair, ignoring the pain in her heart. "We're in show choir too, though that shit is super lame."

"Hey now, don't be dissin on show choir," David said in mock offense. "That's how we came to be."

"That's right," Blaine said with a proud nod. "We were awesome at Dalton."

"That may be but McKinley ain't no prep school and at our school, show choir is loserville 101," Santana quipped, looking at Kurt for affirmation.

Kurt reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, she's got a point."

"Well then why are you in it?" Nick questioned with a small laugh.

"We like to sing," Kurt said with a sigh. "Plus, as much as it pains me to say it, glee club is the only place at McKinley that we really feel at home. Even with our Cheerio status."

Santana nodded. "Mhm."

Blaine cocked his head curiously, wondering exactly what Kurt meant and why there was a hurtful tone to his voice. He would have to ask about that later.

Eric knocked on the door and came in. "You guys ready for sound check?"

"Yeah, we're ready," Wes answered and started heading out the door.

"Santana, would you like to watch from backstage or your seat?" Eric asked her.

"Backstage, duh," she replied as she stood up.

"We're gonna hang back for a bit, is that ok?" Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear.

Kurt nodded, a shiver coursing down his spine as Blaine's breath lingered on his neck. "Yeah, totally."

"Try not to be too long, Blaine," Eric said before walking out with the others, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone in the dressing room.

Blaine walked them over to the couch and sat down, turning his body to face Kurt. "Soâwhat have you been up to for the past six years?" he asked with a laugh. "That was a dumb question, I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's fine," Kurt assured him. "It's a completely legitimate question," he smirked.

Blaine chuckled. "I appreciate you humoring me. Really though, a lot has changed since we last met," Kurt nodded, his eyes shifting down to their linked hands, Blaine's thumb caressing his softly. "And I want to know everything but since we have limited time today, let's just start with the simple stuff. Where did you grow up? What's your family like?"

"Well, I grew up in Lima," Kurt started, feeling more comfortable talking to Blaine with each passing moment. "Sadly I'm still there. It's not much of a town but it's whatever. My family's pretty cool. My mom passed away when I was 9 and before you say you're sorry, it's ok. I miss her but I'm ok," he smiled softly as Blaine's thumb continued to caress the top of his hand. "My dad is incredible. It was just us two for a while but then he met Carole when I was 15 and they got married not long after they started dating, so now it's us plus her and her son Finn. He's a senior like me and Tana."

"And you get along with him ok?" Blaine asked curiously. "I know step siblings take a while to get used to."

"Yeah, we get along great," Kurt nodded. "Or rather, now we do. He had some trouble in the beginning accepting that I'm gay but other than Tana, he's my best friend."

Blaine smiled. "Good. Do they know, about me? About us?"

Kurt chuckled. "Oh, they know. After the massive freak-out I had this morning I'm sure all of Lima knows," he joked.

"That bad, huh?" Blaine smirked.

"You have no idea. I'm talking lots of screaming here. And not the, oh my god Blaine Anderson is my soulmate this is the coolest thing ever, kind of screaming. I'm talking, oh hell no, this is so not happening, I'm losing my shit, kind of screaming," Blaine laughed at Kurt's reaction. He almost forgot just how enthusiastic teenagers were. "I'm serious! I even tried scrubbing your name off because I couldn't believe that it was real!" Blaine pouted and Kurt quickly backtracked. "Not that I didn't want it to be you! I justâI've kinda been in love with you since I was 11, Blaine. Seeing your name on my wrist was mind-blowing. It still is," he admitted shyly. "I ramble when I'm nervous, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, it's fine. I was only teasing. I understand," Blaine said gently. "I could only imagine what was going through your head this morning. You should know though, since you've admitted to being in love with me for over six years," he teased with a wink, Kurt blushing an adorable deep red, "that I've thought about you countless times since that night. That money you gave me fed me for about a week and the next time I played at that park, the guys showed up and Eric discovered us. You've been my good luck charm for years," he spoke gently.

Kurt bit back the tears that wanted to spill. This was all just so much to take in. "You know, I've always wondered about that day," he said just above a whisper. "Why you were out there, what happened that made you play for tips."

Blaine sighed deeply. "It's a bit of a long story but um basically, my parents, more specifically my father, didn't want to accept that I'm gay or that I wanted to sing instead of going into banking like him so about a week after graduation, he kicked me out."

"Oh Blaine, I'm so sorry," Kurt said quietly, regretting bringing it up in the first place.

Blaine simply smiled though and shook his head. "Don't be. I met you that way and I was discovered because of it. I have no regrets," Kurt offered him a small smile but Blaine could tell that he was worried he said the wrong thing so he quickly changed the topic. "Earlier when you were talking about being on the Cheerios, Santana called you Porcelain. I may be jumping the gun here but your Twitter handle wouldn't happen to be Cheerio_Porcelain would it?" he asked with a smirk.

Kurt bit his lip and nodded. "Yeahâit totally is."

Blaine laughed, finally understanding why he had been so intrigued by the user. "You should know that I kinda stalked your tweets for a little bit there," Kurt's eyes went wide, his jaw going slack. "What? I was curious so I looked. Although now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense."

Kurt shook his head. "Blaine Anderson Twitter stalked me. Unbelievable."

Blaine snorted a laugh. "What is your heart's greatest desire?" he repeated the question back to Kurt, his tone teasing.

"To find my missing puzzle piece and make all his dreams come true," Kurt answered with a cheeky grin.

"Now that is what I call an answer," Blaine said dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "Epic swoon."

"Shut up," Kurt whined, playfully shoving Blaine. "I was mortified after I tweeted you that!"

"Why? That tweet made my night," Blaine said with a small laugh, grabbing hold of Kurt's other hand.

"Because I had never tweeted you before and the one time I do, you respond and I make a complete fool of myself," Kurt pouted.

Unable to resist, Blaine leaned in and gave Kurt a chaste but tender kiss, backing away just slightly and letting their noses brush. "You didn't. I thought it was sweet," he whispered.

Kurt gulped, his heart beat racing. "You're um, you're pretty affectionate, aren't you?"

"Is that going to be a problem?" Blaine asked, backing away a little more but still in Kurt's personal space.

"No, not at all," Kurt quickly shook his head. "I just hadn't expected it, you seem so reserved. It's just gonna take some getting used to. You're my first boyfriend, ya know," he added bashfully

Blaine grinned from ear to ear, looking deeply into Kurt's eyes. "Your first and your last," he promised, gently stroking Kurt's cheek.

Kurt looked away, unable to hold on to Blaine's intense gaze. He needed a moment to breathe before he did something he shouldn't yet, like straddle Blaine and give in to his every fantasy. "You should um, get to sound check and I should make sure Santana isn't doing something stupid like attempting to molest Jeff."

Blaine laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess we should go," he pulled back all the way and sighed. "Come on," he stood up, bringing Kurt with him. "Speaking of Santana, you're gonna have to tell me what she meant when she said that you two have been caught in worse positions."

"Oh god," Kurt groaned in embarrassment. "Do I have to?" he pouted.

Blaine laughed as he opened the door, sending Kurt a cheeky grin. "Definitely."

A/N: See ya in two weeks. :)

Pocket Full of Soul

A/N: Hello my beautiful, amazing, wonderful, perfect readers! I can't thank you all enough for being so incredible!

This is the first fic where I've focused so much on the music but for this story it's necessary. The first song they sing is Closer by Ne-Yo and the next one is Mirrors by Justin Timberlake. Closer is from their second album while Mirrors is from their newest. I cut the very end of Mirrors and changed a few Closer lyrics too, just FYI. I worked really hard to split the songs into five part harmonies, especially Mirrors. I hope it makes sense. :p

I think that's it. Enjoy the chapter. :) Thank you MuseInMe3!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Cheerio_Q: I fucking hate you so much right now. RT "Cheerio_Sandbags: NiffTana sandwich. WANKY [photo]"

Cheerio_Sandbags: Cheerio_Q Don't even get me started on how sexy these mofos are in person. I mean DAMN! I gots all kinds of feelings right now!

Cheerio_Q: Cheerio_Sandbags Yeah still hate you. You better bring me back some cool ass shit.

Cheerio_Sandbags: Cheerio_Q Don't worry, I gots you. ;)

MikeChang: âokâthat's pretty hot. RT "Cheerio_Sandbags: NiffTana sandwich. WANKY [photo]"

ThePuckasourus: "MikeChang âokâthat's pretty hot. RT "Cheerio_Sandbags: NiffTana sandwich. WANKY [photo]" THIS!

MikeChang: Tina just slapped me for that. :( This is all your fault Cheerio_Sandbags

FutureMrsChang: I'm watching you Michael. RT "MikeChang: Tina just slapped for that. :( This is all your fault Cheerio_Sandbags"

Cheerio_Sandbags: MikeChang FutureMrsChang Kinky Asians #wanky ;)

RachelBarbra: Cheerio_Sandbags That is a very unethical picture Santana. You should take it down immediately! And where's Cheerio_Porcelain in all this?

Blaine led Kurt towards the stage, their hands firmly clasped. Kurt tried his best not to giggle like some school girl. He tried to keep his composure as Blaine ran them through the halls backstage. But when Blaine took a sharp turn, avoiding the small group of arena workers, Kurt couldn't control the high pitched laughter that escaped his lips. And Blaine adored that laugh. He wanted to hear it as much as he possibly could before they inevitably parted ways. So he sped up, taking unnecessary turns and prolonging the short distance to the stage just so that he could keep Kurt laughing. When the stage finally came into view, Santana standing off to the side and swaying along to the beat of the music, Blaine pulled Kurt into a corner and hid behind the rack of outfits they would change into during the concert.

"Why do I get the feeling that you took the long way around?" Kurt asked breathlessly, his arms wrapping around Blaine's neck as Blaine held him close.

Blaine chuckled, leaning in for a chaste kiss. "Because I did," he answered with a cheeky grin. "I had to make sure that no one was following us," he whispered conspiringly. Kurt laughed and shook his head, Blaine smiling adoringly at him. The rack of clothes was suddenly moved, revealing an amused Santana and an annoyed Eric.

"Told ya they'd be makin' out in a corner," Santana all but purred.

Kurt bit his lip and looked away in embarrassment while Blaine gave Eric his most charming smile. "I was just showing him around." Eric sent Blaine an unconvinced glare, moving his body to the side and pointing to the stage. "Sound check. Right," he said and hurried off, turning around to wink at Kurt before grabbing his guitar and getting on stage.

Eric closed his eyes and sighed. Blaine was going to make things difficult. He could feel it. He turned to look at Kurt. "We need to talk," he said, his tone all business. "Now, obviously things are going to be complicated with Blaine on tour and you still in school, but I need you to truly understand the gravity of this situation."

"Relax, Daddy Warbler," Santana drawled with an eye roll. "We totes got this."

"Do you?" Eric questioned her, crossing his arms. "Do you totes got this? Because I don't think you do," Santana scowled at him, only keeping her mouth shut because of the grip Kurt had on her arm. "Did you know that when the media first found out about David's soulmate they stalked her home until she was forced to move? Or how about Wes' soulmate? Did you know that an overzealous fan actually tried to kidnap her because they refused to accept that she was his?" Santana shrank back and Eric continued. "No, of course not because I made sure that information was never leaked. Trust me when I tell you that keeping things this big under wraps is not an easy task. I need you both to realize just how high profile this is. This is way more complicated than promising not to tell. We need to make sure that this stays under the radar for as long as possible, and not for Blaine's sake, but for your safety, Kurt. Blaine tends to be impulsive and I'm going to have a hard enough time keeping him in check. I can't be worrying about if you're going to accidently say or do something that sets the media off."

Kurt nodded fervently. "We understand."

"I hope so," Eric said with a firm nod. "Did one of you drive here or did you get dropped off?"

"I drove," Santana answered.

"Alright. Once the show is over, Kurt, you will be taken to the tour bus and Santana, you can go ahead and leave-"

"But I'm going to his house anyway," Santana cut in. "Can't I ride on the bus with the guys and have one of your people drive my car?"

"Tana," Kurt whispered harshly.

Eric narrowed his eyes on her for only a moment before nodding. "Yeah, alright," he sighed and looked back at Kurt. "I'm going to need to speak with your parents. Is that going to be a problem?" he asked.

"No, that'll be fine," Kurt told him. "It's perfect actually. My dad told me before we left that he wanted to talk to you."

"Great. He and I have quite a bit to discuss," Eric said. "Who else knows?"

"Just us and my family," Kurt replied. "My dad, stepmom, and stepbrother."

"Let's keep it that way, shall we?" Eric eyed them sternly and they both nodded. "Good. Once the guys are done with sound check, you'll head back to the dressing room for a little while. When they leave for the meet and greet, you two can stay in there until they are done. When it gets closer to the show, you'll be escorted to your seats. Tony, the bodyguard that checked you in, will come get you after the concert is over. Just stay in your seats."

Kurt nodded. "Ok."

"May I see your phone?" Eric asked, holding his hand out. Kurt pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to him. "I'm going to save Blaine's number and my number. Will you text me your dad's number so I can give him a quick call?"

"Yeah, sure," Kurt said, his heart skipping a beat at the fact that Blaine's number was officially in his phone. Eric handed Kurt his phone back and Kurt quickly text him his house number. "That's the home phone. His name is Burt."

Eric nodded as he saved Kurt's cellphone and home numbers. "I'm going to give him a call now. You can go ahead and finish watching sound check. Just stay out of sight from the other VIPers," he advised. "Santana, come with me. We're going to get your car," he said and quickly walked off, his phone attached to his ear, Santana following him.

Blaine looked over to the side of the stage, watching Eric and Santana scurry off and catching Kurt's eye as he walked closer to the stage. He sent Kurt a wink and goofy grin before turning his attention back to the empty arena. A sold out arena that would soon be filled with screaming fans. Blaine smiled softly to himself, taking a moment to settle his pre-show nerves. His eyes roamed the arena, landing on the two empty seats front and center where Kurt and Santana would be sitting and an idea struck him.

"Hey Wes, come here," he called out, his fingers lightly strumming his guitar.

Wes came around his keyboard and walked over to him. "What's up?"

"You know how during the last song, when we get the crowd to clap and sing with us?" Wes nodded. "What do you think of turning the house lights up and then slowly dimming them until the song ends? Make it real intimate."

Wes looked out into the arena, not for a second questioning Blaine's motives for the change, knowing it had everything to do with Kurt, but admittedly loving the idea. "I actually really like that. We could keep them chanting with us until the very last moment and then shut all the lights off."

Blaine nodded eagerly. "Exactly. The crowd would go wild."

"Let me go talk to Mike real quick. We'll run through itwhen I get back," Wes said and ran off the stage.

Blaine glanced over at Kurt once more, his heart melting at the adoring look Kurt was sending him, and turned away, a bashful smile on his lips. Tonight was going to be amazing.

After sound check, The Warblers headed back to their dressing room with Kurt and Santana. Blaine and Kurt sat together on one of the couches and spoke with Eric about the plans for after the concert while the others relaxed a bit before the meet and greet. Jeff decided to subtly watch Santana as she interacted with David and Wes. On the outside, she seemed confident and happy. But as soon as both walked off to the food table, Jeff noticed the smile on her face disappear and he could see the vulnerability in her eyes. He could see the pain and loss clear as day and couldn't help but wonder if what had happened to Nick back at Dalton was happening to her now.

"Nicky," he whispered to get his love's attention. Nick looked up from his phone where he had been tweeting and raised a questioning brow. "Does she seem a little broken to you?"

Nick glanced at Santana who was texting on her phone. "What do you mean?"

Jeff shrugged a little. "I don't know. I just feel like behind her snark and attitude there's a lost girl." Nick pursed his lips, wondering exactly what Jeff was getting at. "Would you mind if I gave her my number?"

Nick contemplated for a moment and shook his head. "I don't mind. It might be best that we have it anyway. She and Kurt seemed to be joined at the hip so it'll be good to keep in contact with her."

Jeff smiled softly and gave Nick a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks, baby," he said before walking over to Santana and plopping down next to her on the couch. "Sup, Lil' Mami?" he asked, draping an arm over her.

Santana turned her body towards Jeff with a seductive grin. "Hey there, blondie," she purred and Jeff could only smile in amusement.

"Let me see your phone," Jeff said, holding his hand out.

Santana raised a brow. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because we can't be new BFF's if you don't have my number, duh," Jeff replied with a teasing smirk.

Santana narrowed her eyes. "Why?" she asked again.

Jeff rolled his eyes as Nick took a seat next to him. "Because you and Kurt are obviously a packaged deal and Kurt is Blaine's soulmate. Plus, you're a kickass dancer and I like you. What other reason do I need?"

"Jeff has a thing for adopting people into our little family," Nick said with a fond smile. "He's persistent as hell too. If you don't give him your number he'll just get it from Kurt."

Santana sat back and handed Jeff her phone. "This better not be some trick, blondie."

"It's not," Jeff assured her as he typed his number in and sent himself a text. "I'm gonna trust you here, though. Don't give the number out or brag about having it, alright? This could be the start of a beautiful friendship," he said as he returned her phone to her.

Santana took it with a small smile. "Thanks. I wouldn't give out your number either. I'm not stupid."

"Didn't think you were," Jeff replied gently, all jokes aside. "If you ever just wanna talk, to me or Nick, give us a call. We got you, Lil' Mami."

Santana nodded with a soft smile but said nothing, holding back the fangirl scream that had been trying to escape all day. She wasn't sure what Jeff's true motives behind keeping in touch with her were, but she sure as hell wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to stay in direct contact with him and Nick. She hadn't told anyone yet, especially not Kurt, but she didn't want to move to New York with him after graduation. She wanted to go to California and audition for Jeff's dance studio. Only the best earned a spot to train with him and now that she was in direct contact with him, her dream may actually become a reality.

Time flew by as The Warblers did the meet and greet and got ready for the show, Santana and Kurt staying in their dressing room with a few Warbler parents who showed up to support their boy's. None of the parents needed to be told not to say anything about Blaine finding Kurt. They knew all too well how intense The Warblers' fans were and they welcomed Kurt with open arms, showing him as much support as possible. Wes' mother was particularly kind to Kurt, going as far as exchanging numbers with him in case he ever needed help.

"Vanessa had one hell of a time adjusting to the fans," she had told him. "Be sure to call me if things get rough."

Kurt had taken her number graciously, too caught up in his own head to worry about what Blaine's more enthusiastic fans were going to say when they found out about him. When it got closer to the concert starting, the parents were taken to their reserved area backstage and Kurt and Santana waited for The Warblers to get dressed before going to their seats. One by one the guys came out of the bathroom in a stylish suit, each blazer a different color. The one that stood out the most though was Blaine. Kurt froze in his spot as Blaine walked over to him. He wore tight black pants, a soft gray shirt which hugged his chest and torso, and a stunning cream blazer. Kurt melted. His soulmate was entirely too gorgeous.

"So, what do you think of the first outfit?" Blaine asked as he spun in a circle.

"It'sâyou look amazing," Kurt breathed and Blaine smiled, smoothing his blazer out. "What is that? Armani?"

Blaine shook his head. "It's HM actually. You really like it? I wasn't sure about the color."

Kurt gently ran his hand over the fabric, a shy smile on his lips. "It looks great on you, Blaine. Stunning actually."

Blaine placed his hand on top of Kurt's and looked up at him through his lashes. "I'm glad you approve," he said softly, his eyes full of adoration.

Kurt gulped, unable to look away. Without a conscious thought, he raised his free hand to Blaine's face and caressed his jawline, blushing deeply when his mind caught up with his actions. He pulled his hand away in embarrassment but Blaine grabbed hold of it and brought it to his lips, kissing Kurt's knuckles lightly and looking deeply into his eyes.

"You're adorable when you blush," Blaine smirked, chuckling softly when Kurt's blush deepened.

"Kurt, Santana, it's time to get to your seats," Eric said from the doorway. "Tony will escort you."

Blaine pulled Kurt into a hug and held him close, breathing in his scent. "Have a good show," Kurt told him.

"Thanks," Blaine replied as they parted. "Pay special attention to the last song," he whispered with a wink, kissing Kurt's cheek before finally letting go. Kurt bit his lip and nodded before walking over to Santana.

"Ya'll better kick ass out there tonight," Santana said, her hands on her hips. "I didn't get all sexy just to watch you flop."

Kurt scoffed, looping his arm through hers. "Bitch please, you get sexy just to go to the grocery store."

Santana waved him off. "Totally irrelevant," she retorted as they followed Tony out.

"Fifteen minutes, guys," Eric told them before walking out.

"How you feelin, Blainers?" Jeff asked as he ran his hands over Nick's blazer.

"Good. I feel good," Blaine said with a nod, taking a deep breath.

Wes walked over to him with a raised brow. "You sure? I remember the first time Vanessa saw us perform I was terrified."

Blaine shook his head with a small smile. "I'm ok, really. I'm more excited than nervous." The guys looked at each other, unconvinced by Blaine's casualness. "Really, I'm good. Now, come on. We have a show to perform," he said and walked out of the room.

"Why do I get the feeling like he's going to do something he's not supposed to?" Wes asked as they followed Blaine out.

David snorted a laugh and patted Wes on the back. "Because he probably is."

Kurt sat on the edge of his seat, taking a picture of the stage to post on Twitter. His heart was racing, his mind slowly but surely catching up with the day's events. Blaine was his soulmate. The man he had fallen in love with when he was 11 was his to hold and cherish. The same man who now had millions among millions of fans wishing they could do the same. What was he going to do when the fans found out? How the hell was he going to handle the onslaught of hate he would undoubtedly receive? Would they believe that he was really Blaine's soulmate or would they think that Kurt was using him? Would they support them or would Blaine lose fans because of him? Kurt wrapped his arms around himself protectively and glanced around him, the fans chanting for The Warblers. What was he going to do?

Santana noticed the panicked look on Kurt's face and leaned down to talk in his ear. "Why do you look like you're about hurl?"

Kurt opened his mouth to answer but stopped when the lights began to change. The crowd cheered as the band members took the stage. Kurt shook his head and stood up, pushing his worries aside for the time being.

The music began to play, The Warblers taking their spot on stage. Kurt could just barely make out their silhouettes, almost instantly pinpointing Blaine. He bit his lower lip, excitement for the show taking over. A spotlight turned on David, the others still in the dark.

David

Turn the lights off in this place

And you shine just like a star

And I swear I know your face

I just don't know who you are

A spotlight turned on Wes next, David's light dimming out.

Wes

Turn the music up in here

I still hear you loud and clear

Like you're right there in my ear

Telling me that you want to own me

To control me

Jeff

Come closer

Nick

Come closer

Blaine

Come closer

All the stage lights turned on, the crowd erupting in cheers as The Warblers danced to the beat.

Warblers

And I just can't pull myself away

Under your spell I can't break

I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop

And I just can't bring myself no way

But I don't want to escape

I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop

The lights dimmed out once more, the spotlight on Blaine. Kurt screamed louder than the rest, the fanboy inside taking over. Blaine's eyes immediately went to him, a sultry smile on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes. Kurt's whole body shivered the moment Blaine started singing.

Blaine

I can feel you on my skin

I can taste you on my tongue

You're the sweetest taste of sin

Blaine, Wes

The more I get the more I want

Blaine

You want to own me

Come closer, come closer

The stage lights turned back on, Santana and Kurt dancing along to the beat as The Warblers lit the stage. Watching them sing and dance in their music videos was nothing compared to seeing them live.

Warblers

And I just can't pull myself away

Under your spell I can't break

I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop

And I just can't bring myself no way

But I don't want to escape

I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop

The Warblers stood in a straight line, clapping above their hands, urging the crowd to do the same.

Warblers

I just can't stop

I just can't stop

I just can't stop

I just can't stop

Their harmonies were flawless, their dance moves smooth and sensual. Kurt couldn't take his eyes off Blaine, no longer worried about how the world would react to him. In that moment, as The Warblers sang their first song, Kurt wasn't Blaine's soulmate. He was simply a fan watching his idols perform.

Warblers

And I just can't pull myself away

Under your spell I can't break

I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop

And I just can't bring myself no way

But I don't want to escape

I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop, I just can't stop

Blaine

Come closer

The arena erupted with screams and cheers as the song ended. The Warblers smiled at the crowd, taking a moment to breath in the energy. The first concert was always their favorite.

"How's everyone doing tonight?!" Jeff asked the cheering fans, their screams getting louder. "Man, you guys are loud! I love it!"

"Thank you all so much for being here with us tonight! We couldn't have chosen a better place to kick off the tour. We hope you're ready," Blaine said, his eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on Kurt. "Because tonight, is our night, and we are going to rock your worlds," he winked and their next song started.

Kurt and Santana took picture after picture as The Warblers tore up the stage, each song better than the next. There were moments where Blaine would send Kurt a wink or a coy smile and Kurt had to hold onto the gate in front of them to keep himself from falling. He didn't think it was possible to swoon as much as he had in a matter of a couple of hours, and with every smile Blaine sent his way, he fell deeper and deeper in love with the man. The man who was no longer his fanboy crush, but his soulmate, his beloved. Screw what the world would say about them. Blaine was his and his alone and Kurt couldn't wait to get to know the man behind the rockstar.

Blaine did his best not to keep all of his attention on Kurt. He knew that after tonight the rumor mill would be set ablaze and every fan connected to any kind of social media would be searching for his Kurt. So he made sure to be extra flirty with the other men in the front row, sending winks and singing directly to them in hopes of prolonging the media finding him. He had to admit though that it was thrilling having Kurt in the audience, watching him scream for them. Seeing Kurt cheer for him was one thing. But seeing him cheer for his best friends, knowing that Kurt was their fan too, made him adore Kurt that much more.

The Warblers quickly changed into their last outfit for the final song, simple jeans and a different colored cardigan. Blaine was the last to finish dressing, waiting until the very last moment to approach Eric. He knew he shouldn't do it. He knew that it was a bad idea and that it would end up biting him in the ass later. But watching Kurt beam up at him throughout the concert, love and admiration in his eyes, gave Blaine all the reason to continue with his plan.

"Hey," he said to Eric who was standing behind the light board with their lighting tech Mike. "I'm going to dedicate this last song to Kurt."

Eric whipped his head around. "Blaine-"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Blaine assured him. "I just wanted to let you know," he said and quickly walked off.

"For crying out loud," Eric muttered and pulled out the walkie-talkie that connected to the band. "Don't do it, Blaine."

Blaine smiled back at him and gave him a thumbs up before taking his place in front of the microphone stand. The guys glanced at each other and at him questioningly, but Blaine simply smiled at them and turned his attention to the crowd.

"Alright, this is our last song," the crowd groaned sadly. "But before we go, we want to thank you all for being here tonight, for supporting us and allowing us to live out our dreams. We have the best fans in the world and we love you all so much," the crowd cheered as the music started playing, Blaine's soulful eyes shifting over to Kurt. A dreamy smile slowly graced Blaine's face as Kurt watched him in awe. "And before we get started, I'd just like to say that sometimes, the thing you've been looking for, what you've needed the most, has been there all along. This song is dedicated to my good luck charm."

Kurt gasped, his hand flying to his mouth, his eyes clouding over. "Oh my God," he whispered brokenly to himself as David and Jeff began beat boxing. Santana quickly switched from pictures to video on her camera and started to record. She knew Kurt would want to watch this a hundred times over later.

Blaine

Aren't you somethin' to admire

Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror

And I can't help but notice

You reflect in this heart of mine

If you ever feel alone and

The glare makes me hard to find

Just know that I'm always

Parallel on the other side

The Warblers danced with their microphone stands, serenading the crowd while Blaine serenaded Kurt.

Blaine, Wes, Nick

Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul

I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go

Just put your hand on the glass

I'm here tryin' to pull you through

You just gotta be strong

Warblers

Cause I don't wanna lose you now

I'm lookin' right at the other half of me

The vacancy that sat in my heart

Is a space that now you hold

Show me how to fight for now

And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy

Comin' back into you once I figured it out

You were right here all along

Blaine, David, Wes

It's like you're my mirror

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

My mirror staring back at me

Jeff, Nick

Oh, oh, oh

Blaine, David, Wes

I couldn't get any bigger

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

With anyone else beside me

Jeff, Nick

Oh, oh, oh

Blaine, David, Wes

And now it's clear as this promise

That we're making

Two reflections into one

Cause it's like you're my mirror

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me

Blaine finally looked away from Kurt, his eyes shifting to the crowd as Nick came around his microphone stand and started singing to Jeff with a flirty smile, knowing that the crowd would love it.

Nick

Aren't you somethin', an original

Cause it doesn't seem really as simple

And I can't help but stare, cause

I see truth somewhere in your eyes

Jeff danced over to Nick, a coy smile in place.

Jeff

I can't ever change without you

You reflect me, I love that about you

And if I could, I

Would look at us all the time

Nick and Jeff danced together fluidly while the others danced with their microphone stands. Kurt was transfixed on Blaine whose eyes slowly but surely flitted back to him, his heart hammering in his chest, Blaine's eyes full of passion.

Blaine, David, Wes

Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul

I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go

Just put your hand on the glass

I'm here tryin' to pull you through

You just gotta be strong

Jeff and Nick danced back to their microphone stands and joined in on the chorus.

Warblers

Cause I don't wanna lose you now

I'm lookin' right at the other half of me

The vacancy that sat in my heart

Is a space that now you hold

Show me how to fight for now

And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy

Comin' back into you once I figured it out

You were right here all along

Blaine, David, Wes

It's like you're my mirror

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

My mirror staring back at me

Jeff, Nick

Oh, oh, oh

Blaine, David, Wes

I couldn't get any bigger

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

With anyone else beside me

Jeff, Nick

Oh, oh, oh

Blaine, David, Wes

And now it's clear as this promise

That we're making

Two reflections into one

Cause it's like you're my mirror

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me

"To the bridge, come on," David said, the guys harmonizing as Wes took lead vocals.

Wes

Yesterday is history

Tomorrow's a mystery

I can see you lookin' back at me

Keep your eyes on me

Baby, keep your eyes on me

"Turn the lights up!" Blaine called out and the arena light turned on, allowing The Warblers to see everyone in the audience. "Get those hands up!" The Warblers began clapping, the audience clapping with them.

Warblers

Cause I don't wanna lose you now

I'm lookin' right at the other half of me

The vacancy that sat in my heart

Is a space that now you hold

Show me how to fight for now

And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy

Comin' back into you once I figured it out

You were right here all along

Blaine's vision shifted back to Kurt, smiling lovingly at the adoring look on Kurt's face. The world around them disappeared and in that moment, Blaine was 18 years old again, singing to 11 year old Kurt.

Blaine, David, Wes

It's like you're my mirror

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

My mirror staring back at me

Jeff, Nick

Oh, oh, oh

Blaine, David, Wes

I couldn't get any bigger

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

With anyone else beside me

Jeff, Nick

Oh, oh, oh

Blaine, David, Wes

And now it's clear as this promise

That we're making

Two reflections into one

Cause it's like you're my mirror

Jeff, Nick

Oh

Blaine, David, Wes

My mirror staring back at me,

Jeff, Nick, David, Wes

Staring back at me

Blaine closed his eyes and harmonized, the lights in the arena slowly fading. Kurt held his hands over his heart, his eyes never once leaving his beloved. Blaine let the others take over the harmonizing, his head down moving slightly to the beat.

David

You are, you are the love of my life

Wes, David

You are, you are the love of my life

Blaine

Oh, oh

Blaine harmonized opposite the guys, his hands holding onto his microphone, his eyes closed as he allowed himself to get lost in the moment.

Jeff, Nick, David, Wes

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

Blaine

Oh, oh

Jeff, Nick, David, Wes

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

Blaine

Oh, oh

The lights continued to get dimmer, the mood in the arena became intimate, sensual. Blaine opened his eyes, immediately catching Kurt's gaze and sang, a sultry look in his eyes.

Blaine

Now, you're the inspiration for this precious song

And I just wanna see your face light up since you put me on

So now I say goodbye to the old me, it's already gone

Blaine looked away for only a moment and when he looked back, there was a cocky smirk on his lips.

Blaine

And I can't wait wait wait wait wait to get you home

Just to let you know, you are

Kurt melted as Blaine once again closed his eyes and harmonized, the others continuing to chant as the arena became darker and darker.

Jeff, Nick, David, Wes

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

Blaine

Oh, oh

Jeff, Nick, David, Wes

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

Blaine

Oh, oh

Blaine opened his eyes and looked out at the arena, The Warblers raising their left hands in the air, pointing to the crowd as they chanted along with them.

Warblers

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

Blaine's eyes shifted back to Kurt who was also chanting with them. He continued to point at the audience, resisting the urge to point at Kurt.

Warblers

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

The Warblers lowered their hands, holding them behind their backs to finish the song, the lights in the arena so low that they were just barely visible.

Warblers

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

You are, you are the love of my life

The crowd went crazy as they were plunged into darkness. A minute passed and their screams only grew louder. Blaine kept his vision locked on the same spot so when the lights were turned back on, he instantly saw Kurt who was looking right back at him and screaming with the fans. He smiled proudly, turning away from Kurt to look at his best friends. A small laugh escaped his lips as the crowd started chanting, Warblers. The guys walked around their microphone stands, held hands, and bowed. They blew kisses to the audience before walking off stage. The crowd continued chanting and a few moments later, the guys walked back out, each one carrying several autographed shirts, David and Jeff holding air guns. They threw and shot the shirts out to the crowd, Jeff throwing his last one to Santana and Blaine tossing his last one to Kurt with a wink before they finally left the stage for good.

Santana and Kurt waited eagerly for any sign of Tony. Most of the crowd had started leaving when they saw the techs begin the stage breakdown, desperate to get outside before The Warblers' bus left. When the first few rows were mostly empty, Santana took initiative and jumped the gate.

"Tana!" Kurt scolded, quickly glancing around to see if any of the fans were paying attention.

The body guard closest to them stopped her from going any further though. Santana rolled her eyes but didn't try and push past him. Tony came around the corner and waved at the body guard to let Kurt and Santana through. Kurt jumped the gate effortlessly and hurried over to Tony before anyone noticed. Tony quickly took them backstage to the dressing room where the guys were waiting. A few arena workers eyed Kurt and Santana curiously but said nothing to the 6'5" bald, hulk of a man as they walked past.

The moment Tony opened the dressing room door, Kurt ran straight to Blaine, practically jumping into his arms. Blaine laughed, nuzzling his nose into the crook of Kurt's neck and held him close. Santana walked over to Jeff who was sitting on the arm of one of the chairs, grabbed his hand, and wrapped his arm around her. Jeff raised an amused brow.

"What?" she shrugged innocently. "Kurt gets cuddles, why can't I?" Jeff snorted a laugh and pulled her closer, Nick shaking his head in amusement before taking a picture of them.

Blaine and Kurt pulled back slightly, Blaine leaning his forehead on Kurt's. "I can't believe you did that," Kurt spoke in awe.

Blaine lifted his head and smiled sweetly. "I wanted to make your birthday special."

Kurt breathed in deeply, his eyes clouding over. "You did. Thank you."

Blaine leaned in, capturing Kurt's lips in a gentle kiss. "I'd do anything for you, love," he whispered as they parted.

Their moment was interrupted by a flash, both turning to see that Santana took a picture. She went into her photos to make sure the picture she wanted came out correctly, smiling proudly that it had. Blaine and Kurt were looking into each other's eyes lovingly, completely entranced and unaware of the world around them. Santana couldn't wait until she got home and was able to edit them.

"Yo, Hummel," she called out and switched back to camera mode. "You haven't taken any pictures with the guys as a fan. Everyone's going to be asking for them."

"Oh shit, that's right," Kurt said, turning back to Blaine. "Is there any way we'd be able to go back in that room and pose for some pictures?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, of course. Let me go to talk to Eric real quick."

"I'll go get him," Wes said with a smile. "Go back to being cute."

Blaine grinned at Wes and pulled Kurt closer. "Gladly."

Twenty minutes later, Kurt was posing with The Warblers in the VIP room from earlier, all redressed in the same outfit. After a few pictures, Kurt and Santana were escorted to the bus that was still parked in the lot underneath the arena.

"The bus is going to drive out to wait for the guys to get on," Tony told them. "Be sure to sit somewhere the fans can't see." Kurt and Santana nodded as Tony knocked on the bus door. "Charles, this is Kurt, Blaine's soulmate, and his best friend Santana."

Charles nodded, taking a good look at the two as they entered the bus. Eric had already informed him of the change of plans and he was admittedly curious about the young boy who was lucky enough to be destined for Blaine. "How long till the boys are out?"

"About fifteen minutes," Tony said, glancing at his watch. "The crew just finished loading everything up."

"Alright," Charles said and closed the bus door. He turned to look at Santana and Kurt who were still standing. "Sit over there," he pointed to dining table. "The windows are blacked out so you can see outside but they can't see you."

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked worriedly.

Charles nodded. "Yep. Just stay in the corner and you'll be good."

Kurt and Santana took their seats, both pulling their phones out. "What are they doing with your car?" Kurt asked her.

"They parked it at the entrance. It'll follow the bus out when we leave," She replied as she went on Twitter. "Eric said the arena has been instructed not to let anyone leave until like, ten minutes after the buses go so no one follows them or pinpoints my car."

Kurt let out a breath. "Ok."

"We'll drive around the highway for a little bit too before taking our actual route," Charles said, looking at them through the rearview mirror.

Kurt's brows shot up. "All that just so no one sees her car?" he asked surprised.

Charles shook his head. "We do that after every show."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Are the fans really that bad?"

"Yep," Charles said, grabbing the walkie-talkie when he heard Eric's voice. Kurt swallowed the sudden fear he felt and went to his contacts to call his dad. "Alright, you two. We're about to drive out," Charles informed them and turned the bus on.

The Hudmel home phone rang three times before Burt answered. "Kurt?"

"Hey, Dad," Kurt said shakily.

"Hey, what's wrong bud?"

"Nothing," he lied, Santana raising a brow at him as she scrolled through her timeline. "Just a little overwhelmed."

"But everything's ok?" Burt asked. "You on your way back?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine," Kurt assured him, steadying his voice. "Tana and I are on the bus now but the guys aren't yet. We're getting ready to leave though," he said, glancing up at Charles who was watching him. "Their bus driver just told us that they take a bunch of detours before-"

"They get on route," Burt cut him off. "Yeah, Eric told me. Let me know when you're headed to Lima."

"Ok, I will. Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, son."

Kurt hung up and sat back, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.

"You ok, kid?" Charles asked with concern.

Kurt offered him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I'm ok. Can you let me know when we're on our way to Lima so I can tell my dad?" he asked politely.

"Sure thing," Charles said with a nod. "Here we go," he said as he started driving out of the arena.

Kurt sat up straighter, gulping when he heard the sounds of screaming fans.

"People are already talking about you," Santana said warily.

Kurt whipped his head towards her. "What?!"

Santana nodded and scrolled through The Warblers hashtag to show him. "Everyone's going apeshit over Blaine's oh-so-romantic dedication. It ain't gonna be long before they find out who you are."

"Oh my god," Kurt groaned, looking out the window to see hundreds of screaming fans. "They're gonna hate me, Tana," he said, his voice going an octave higher.

Santana shrugged apologetically. She didn't want to lie to him and tell him they wouldn't because she knew that a lot of them would. "At least they don't know it's you or that you're his soulmate yet. They just know the little boy he tweeted about yesterday is who he dedicated the song to."

"For now," Kurt snapped. "I am so screwed when they start figuring things out."

"Don't worry, kid. No one's going to let anything happen to you," Charles assured him with a gentle smile. "It's going to be crazy for a little while, but things will settle down."

Kurt gave Charles a small but appreciative smile as he sat back in his seat. He would be ok. Nothing bad was going to happen to him and everything was going to be just fine. He hoped.

A/N: See ya next week. :)

Old Promises

A/N: Hello my lovely readers. Thank you so much for reading and extra thank you's to those of you who took the time to review. The review count went down significantly last chapter and I hope it had more to do with the super intense ACOH update that happened the same day, and less to do with the actual chapter. If something about the story hasn't sat right with you please feel free to tell me and I'll do what I can to fix it.

I love you all so, so much. Seriously. You're the best.

Thanks to MuseInMe3 for betaing. This chapter contains tumblr posts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my overactive imagination.

OMFG! I CAN'T! I'M DYING! FUCK YOU BLAINE ANDERSON! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!

-OMG what? What happened?! Was he perfection? He was fucking perfection wasn't he?!

-HE DEDICATED MIRRORS TO SOMEBODY! THIS BEAUTIFUL AMAZING BREATHTAKING ASSHOLE FUCKING DEDICATED MIRRORS TO SOMEONE! I'M DEAD!

-ALWHFARKJHGAQKHGWOUHF WHAT?!

Omg guise! It's the same kid he tweeted about! Blaine dedicated Mirrors to his good luck charm and he tweeted last night about his good luck charm and OMG who is this kid?! Does anybody know? Someone please tell me who it is! I'M DYING!

-I cannot believe he did that! Has he ever even said anything about this kid other than last night?

-NO! He's never said anything about any good luck charm! NOT EVER! All of a sudden he's tweeting about it AND dedicating goddamn Mirrors to him? Yeah because that's not suspicious as hell! I call bullshit! This is Eric's way of getting people to stop talking about his soulmate! Management is so stupid!

OMG! OMG! OMG! WHAT IF THIS GOOD LUCK CHARM IS HIS SOULMATE?! OMG I BET IT IS! DEAD!

-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

-Shut the hell up! Blaine has not found his soulmate! He hasn't! STOP STARTING BULLSHIT RUMORS! Just STOP!

-No butâwhat if it IS his soulmate?! Just imagine how much more adorable Blaine would be! I'm dying!

-Blaine good luck charm = OTP 5Eva

"You guys ready?" Eric asked, his hand on the door handle.

The Warblers nodded and Eric opened the door, Tony walking out first followed by Eric and three bodyguards, then the guys and four more bodyguards. The fans went wild, screaming out for their favorite band member and taking pictures as the guys posed. The Warblers went down the line and signed as many autographs as possible. The closer they got to the bus, the louder the screams became, the fans desperate to be noticed.

"BLAINE! BLAINE!" Blaine glanced up from the picture he had been signing, smiling at the woman that caught his attention. "WHO'S YOUR GOOD LUCK CHARM?!"

Blaine smiled from ear to ear as he went to the next person. "He's someone who means alot to me," he answered.

"BUT WHO IS IT? IS HE YOUR SOULMATE? TELL US!" Blaine simply smiled and signed a couple more autographs as he made his way toward the bus. "TELL US!" The woman demanded.

Blaine posed for one final photo, a charming smile in place even though his insides were squirming uncomfortably, before he headed to the bus. He always prided himself on being open with his fans, being honest and sincere with them. They helped him get to where he was now and he was grateful for their constant love and admiration. But there were moments when Blaine was reminded of exactly how intense they could get, and though he had already decided to be honest with his fans about finding his beloved, he couldn't help but worry. The last thing he wanted to do was put Kurt in any kind of danger.

He followed Wes and David onto the bus, Jeff and Nick behind him, smiling brightly at Kurt who was sitting at the dining table before going to the window on the opposite side and waving to the fans. He couldn't regret what he had done during the concert. He didn't regret dedicating the song to Kurt. The smile on Kurt's face throughout their performance was more than enough reward. The brief encounter with that fan did put things in perspective though. It reminded him why he couldn't shout out to the world that Kurt was his one and only just yet. Blaine hoped Kurt would be ok with the plan they came up with. It was the only way he knew of to satisfy his fans' desire to be informed while keeping Kurt's identity secret.

"Alright, we're rolling out," Charles told them, Tony making sure the bus door was locked properly before taking a seat in the front next to Charles.

"Sweet," Jeff said, reaching for the hook that unlocked the window. The fans' screams filled the bus as Jeff stuck his head out of the window. "BYE!" he shouted at them before closing the window and then the blinds as the bus started to drive out.

The moment all the blinds were closed, Blaine made his way over to Kurt, sliding into the semi-circle bench and sat down next to him, his back against the seat. He wrapped his arms around Kurt's torso and brought their bodies close together, Kurt's back pressed against his chest. Kurt raised a questioning brow and Blaine smiled bashfully. "I just really want to hold you. Is that ok?" he asked, his tone gentle and a little cautious. Kurt smiled softly, a light blush on his cheeks, and nodded, adjusting his body comfortably against his beloved, placing his arms on top of Blaine's. Blaine grinned happily, intertwining their arms and resting his chin on Kurt's shoulder.

"So much internal flailing right now," Santana commented, pulling out her camera and taking a picture of them.

"Hey Tana, why don't you leave the lovebirds be and come hang with me and Nicky?" Jeff asked with a smirk, patting the space in-between him and Nick.

Santana let out a squeal, quickly moving over to the opposite side of the bus and settling herself down in-between them, her legs draped over Nick, her head resting on Jeff's shoulder. Nick and Jeff glanced at each other and laughed. Wes shook his head, an amused smile on his lips, and sat at one of the single tables with his laptop. David grabbed a water bottle from the mini fridge, a mischievous glint in his eyes as an idea struck him.

"Are you comfortable enough Satan?" Kurt asked with a teasing smirk.

"Not nearly as comfy as you," she retorted and the ever present blush on his cheeks deepened.

Blaine chuckled and kissed Kurt's cheek softly, Kurt melting even further into his arms. He could get used to these sweet moments very quickly.

Charles drove out of the parking lot, radioing with the others, including the crew member that was driving Santana's car, and quickly got on the freeway. "We're gonna circle around for about thirty minutes before making our way to Lima," he told Kurt.

"Thanks, Charles," Kurt smiled, his head resting back on Blaine's shoulder.

David grabbed the video camera, sat down next to Nick, and turned it on to himself. "David here. This is, Where It All Began tour log number 35, and we just finished our very first concert!" The guys cheered while David zoomed out of his face. "Now, this particular log is exceptionally awesome because today, right now, at this very moment, we have two special guests on the bus with us."

"David, don't," Wes said sternly but it fell on deaf ears as David turned the camera away from himself and over to Kurt and Blaine.

"David," Blaine warned but David waved him off.

"What? It's not like you two won't be out by the time the DVD is made," David said with a pointed look. "And if it doesn't make it on the DVD, it'll be perfect footage for your wedding rehearsal dinner," he said with a cheeky grin, zooming in on Kurt who was looking down, his face a bright red. "This is Kurt. He's Blaine's soulmate. Everybody say, Hi Kurt!"

"Oh god," Kurt muttered as David mimicked the voices of their fans greeting him.

David turned the camera on Santana who winked at him. "And this is Santana, Kurt's BFF and apparently Niff's new pet."

"I like the sound of that, Niff's pet. Me gusta," Santana purred, leaning her head back on Jeff who rolled his eyes. What had he gotten himself into?

"Now," David turned the camera back on Blaine and Kurt, "let's talk about how Blaine completely blindsided us and dedicated Mirrors to Kurt tonight." It was Blaine's turn to blush this time but he didn't turn away from David. Instead he stuck his tongue out at him and held Kurt a little tighter. "I'm all for romantic gestures but damn man, you couldn't warn us first?"

Blaine shrugged a little. "I told Eric," he said with a goofy grin.

"Yeah but only seconds before we performed," Wes cut in, David turning the camera on him. "I mean, really Blaine? We all know you're impulsive as hell, but wow."

Blaine pouted. "It's his birthday. I had to make it special," he said in a baby voice and Kurt could only internally swoon. Blaine really needed to stop being so damn perfect.

"Today's your birthday?" David asked, zooming in on Kurt.

"Yeah," Kurt replied hesitantly.

"Dude! That's awesome!" David exclaimed. "Hit it boys!"

The Warblers started harmonizing, Kurt gaping at them as they started singing Happy Birthday. Blaine sang directly into his ear, all coherent thoughts disappearing as Blaine's breath lingered on his neck. David made sure to keep the camera's focus on Kurt's flushed face. Screw the DVD. This footage would be reserved for their wedding, just so David could get a kick out of it.

They finished the song with a flourish, Kurt clapping with a huge smile and Santana cheering loudly. "Could you guys like, always sing and just never talk again? Cause damn," she sighed.

The guys laughed, Nick turning his attention to Kurt. "Alright so, that means that you bought the VIP tickets before you knew Blaine was your soulmate?"

"Well, yeah," Kurt said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, I wanted to meet him again, remind him of that night in the park," he said turning his head to look at Blaine who was smiling adoringly at him. "But I'm also a huge fan. You guys are my idols."

"Mine too," Santana said softly, all cockiness and snark aside. "I would probably still be in the closet if it wasn't for you guys."

"Awe, Tana," Jeff cooed, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"This is great," David said happily. "Seriously the coolest thing I've heard in a while." Santana's phone started ringing, both her and Kurt tensing when they recognized the ringtone. "And that is the end of log 35," David said and shut the camera off. "You gonna answer that?"

"Um," Santana replied as she pulled her phone out of her jacket. "Should I answer?" she asked Kurt.

Kurt shrugged and sat up straighter. "She's gonna be pissed if you don't."

"Shit," Santana murmured. "Alright nobody say nothing," she said and answered the call. "Whatcha want, Q? I'm driving."

"Please tell me you know who the hell Blaine dedicated that song to," Quinn pleaded, Santana's eyes shifting over to Kurt. "Everyone's flipping out and the VIP people are saying that he was singing to someone in the front row and I know Kurt's gotta be freaking the hell out over it!"

"Girl please, we weren't paying attention to that shit," Santana said as she waved Kurt over to her. Kurt quickly untangled himself from Blaine's grasp, much to Blaine's dismay, and Santana nudged Jeff to move over for him. "I ain't got a damn clue who that song was for."

"Let me talk to Kurt."

Santana handed Kurt the phone. "Hey, Q. What's up?" he asked.

"Who the hell did Blaine dedicate Mirrors to?"

Kurt looked up at Blaine, a shy smile on his lips. "Honestly, I have no idea. I was too busy drooling over the perfection that is Blaine's ass to pay attention," he smirked, David and Jeff holding back laughter, an almost seductive grin creeping up Blaine's face.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Hummel?" Quinn snapped. "You're supposed to know these things!"

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Quinn," Kurt said with a sigh. "Except that Blaine Anderson is a Greek God. I mean really, that man is just-"

Quinn huffed in aggravation and cut Kurt off before he started on another, Blaine is perfect, rant. "Put Tana back on."

Kurt handed Santana her phone with a smirk. "What now? I'm about take my exit, I can't be on the phone," she snapped, feeling guiltier by the moment.

"Did you get me something cool?"

"Yes, Quinn."

"What is it?"

"An autograph shirt," Santana replied instantly. "Seriously, Q, I gotta go."

"Alright, alright," Quinn mumbled. "Just tell me real quick, is he doing ok with his soulmate? Is it someone we know?"

"Uhâyeah, let's not talk about that right now," Santana replied, nodding at Kurt.

"TANA, THE EXIT!"

"FUCK!"

"Damn it, Tana! Pay attention!" Kurt snapped angrily, holding back a grin.

"Quinn, I gotta go. I'll call you in the morning," Santana said and quickly hung up. "Fuck, she's gonna be so pissed off at me for hanging up on her," she grumbled, Kurt shrugging apologetically.

"Yo, that shit was hilarious!" David said, falling into a fit of laughter.

Jeff snickered along. "Yeah, it really was."

"I exceptionally like how in sync you two are," Blaine said with a smirk. "Your back and forth was flawless."

"Reminds me of all those times at Dalton we bullshitted our way out of trouble," Wes sighed, recalling their teen years. "Trouble that you guys always got me into."

Nick scoffed. "Whatever. You were just as bad as us," he teased, Wes gasping in offense, the others laughing.

Santana and Kurt however were grimacing at their cell phones, each receiving an annoyed text from Quinn. Blaine noticed their sullen expressions and stopped laughing.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked with concern.

Kurt looked up, a worried look in his eyes. "Blaine, I'm not going to be able to keep this from Quinn," he said cautiously, the guys quieting down. "I know Eric said I couldn't tell anyone, butâ"

"There's no way we're going to be able to get away with not telling her," Santana continued. "She knows when we're lying."

"Who is this?" Jeff asked curiously, not missing the change in Santana's tone.

Santana glanced at Kurt before answering. "She's on the Cheerios and in glee club with us, she's one of the Unholy Trinity," she said, Jeff once again picking up on the pain hidden in her voice, only this time Nick did too.

"We're always together," Kurt said, his tone bordering on desperate. "She's going to know we're hiding something huge."

"Do you trust her?" Blaine asked him seriously.

"Yes, I do," Kurt said with no hesitation.

Blaine smiled softly. "Then tell her. Hiding this from the people closest to you is going to be hard, Kurt. I know Eric wouldn't want you to but you're going to have to let some people know. You're going to need a strong support system to help you when the media eventually find out who you are."

Kurt sighed in relief, sending Blaine an appreciative smile. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, love," Blaine smiled. "Now get your adorable ass over here. You're way too far away and I miss you," he pouted and Kurt couldn't stop the giggle that escaped as he walked back over to Blaine. As soon as he sat down, Blaine wrapped his arms around his torso and brought him closer, leaving a gentle kiss in the crook of his neck. "Much better," he whispered against Kurt's skin, Kurt shivering.

"You keep saying, The Unholy Trinity," Jeff said to Santana as he scooted a little closer to her. "If Kurt's Porcelain, and it's you and Quinn, who's the third person?"

Santana bristled, crossing her arms over her chest. "We don't talk about her," she said dryly.

Jeff glanced over at Nick who was watching Santana, concern and a hint of recognition on his face. Nick looked up at Jeff, sadness in his eyes, and nodded a little. They were definitely going to keep Santana close.

"Kurt, we're taking this exit coming up then headed to Lima," Charles told him.

"How long of a drive will it be?" Kurt asked. "Since you took the detour and all."

"About two and a half hours, so we still have a little time," Charles said.

"Ok, thanks," Kurt smiled and pulled out his phone.

He dialed his home number, the phone ringing only twice before it was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dad," Kurt greeted. "We're heading to Lima now. Charles, the bus driver, said we'll be there in about two and half hours."

"Alright, good. I'll keep a lookout for the huge tour bus down the street," Burt said and Kurt chuckled. "Is Blaine there with you?"

Kurt looked at Blaine with a raised brow. "Yeah, he's right next to me," he said hesitantly. "Why?" He knew what was coming and he wasn't looking forward to it in the least.

"Put him on the phone."

"Dad-"

"Now, son."

Kurt cursed under his breath. "My dad wants to talk to you," he said sheepishly.

Blaine simply smiled though and held out his hand. Kurt gave him the phone, glancing at Santana who had completely drawn into herself.

"Good evening, Mr. Hummel. This is Blaine."

"Is there any way that you could step away from my son?" Burt asked, his tone suggesting that it was more of a demand then a request. "I'd really like to talk to you without him trying to listen in."

"What's he saying?" Kurt asked in a whisper, a smirk playing at Blaine's lips.

"Of course, Mr. Hummel. Just give me a moment, please," Blaine said, nudging Kurt so that he would stand up.

"Where are you going?" Kurt questioned.

"I'll be right back," Blaine told him, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "Keep him here," he directed at David and hurried to the back of the bus.

Kurt's jaw dropped. "Blaine?" he called out, attempting to follow him only to stop when David cut in front of him, standing in the way of the door. "Please, move."

"No can do," David shook his head. "Why don't you sit down, tell us about all the awesome show choir things your glee club is doing?" Kurt glared at him, crossing his arms and jutting out his hip. David scoffed. "Boy please, I got a pregnant wife at home. That shit don't work on me." Kurt huffed in annoyance and sat back down, David smiling in amusement. "Man, Blaine is gonna have so much fun with you."

Blaine walked into the back room of the bus, closing the door behind him. It was essentially their entertainment room; the walls were lined with couches, there was another mini fridge, two acoustic guitars resting on their stands, and two TV's, one that was connected to satellite and the other was set up with several gaming systems. Blaine sat down and took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever it was Mr. Hummel wanted to speak with him about.

"Alright, I'm alone," he said a little hesitantly.

"I'm going to be real blunt with you, Anderson," Burt started, his tone firm and demanding attention. Blaine sat up straighter. "I don't care how famous you are, if you hurt my son, I will not hesitate to shoot you."

Blaine's jaw dropped, his eyes wide. "I assure you, Mr. Hummel that I have no intention of hurting Kurt," he said quickly, his heart picking up speed.

"You better not," Burt cut in before Blaine could continue. "I don't know how much Kurt has told you, but you mean a lot to him. And I'm not talking about you as his soulmate, I mean you as a singer, you and The Warblers. He wouldn't want me to tell you this but I feel like it's something you should know. Kurt's been through a lot, he's had to deal with some difficult things growing up and it was you and your music that helped him through it. He's completely dedicated to you, has been for years. Don't take advantage of that."

"Mr. Hummel," Blaine paused, taking a deep breath to center himself and collect his thoughts. "I would never in a million years take advantage of Kurt. I would never in any way use him or hurt him. Kurtâhe means more to me than you could possibly know. I wouldn't be who I am today had it not been for him."

"I'm listening," Burt said with curiosity.

Blaine inhaled deeply, running his hands through his hair. He had wanted to tell Kurt this first but maybe it was a good idea to tell his father. He didn't want the man to hate him or think him insincere. "I know that he was the little boy who gave me the 50 dollar tip and I have to be honest with you sir, that night is still one of the most memorable nights of my life," he spoke softly, Burt listening intently. "Emotionally, I was kind of mess at the time. I was struggling to stay afloat, to not fall into depression, and then your son comes along and it's like I was given new life, new hope. Meeting him, singing to him and seeing the way his face lit up, it meant everything to me. It was the first time in weeks, months even, that I felt truly happy."

Burt tried to hold firm to his protective fatherly instincts, but he smiled despite himself, his heart melting at the fondness of Blaine's tone. "I made a promise that night," Blaine continued, "when I was alone and eating the first real meal I'd had in weeks, I made a promise to the little boy who reminded me why I wanted to sing in the first place."

"What exactly was that promise?" Burt questioned.

"I promised him I'd make it," Blaine said with a small smile. "I promised him that I wouldn't give up and that when I did finally make it, I would stay true to myself and my beliefs. I promised him that I would be smart about how I handled my fame and fortune, and I promised him that when I found my soulmate, I would do everything in my power to make all of his dreams come true. I had hoped that I would meet that little boy again, thank him for inspiring me to never give up hope, and when Kurt told me that he was that little boy, I was astonished," Blaine chuckled, his eyes tearing up. "I never in a million years imagined that the little boy and my Kurt would be the same person. I know that I mean a lot to Kurt, I know that the guys and I have had an impact on him. But I can honestly tell you that your son has made an even bigger impact on me. I know we're just now really meeting but I really care about him, sir. I swear to you I will do everything I possibly can to keep him happy and safe."

Burt was quiet for a moment, taking in everything Blaine said. Blaine worried that he'd said too much, been too honest. It wouldn't be the first time he found himself in some sort of trouble for being so open.

"I'll admit, I wasn't exactly thrilled to find out that my son's soulmate was a huge celebrity," Burt said, Blaine's heart dropping. "But, I can honestly say that I'm glad it's you," he spoke gently, Blaine breathing in relief. "I've followed your career, Blaine. I've heard your music, I've seen your interviews and I believe you to be a good man. I believe that you will take care of my son. But that doesn't mean that I don't worry. Kurt's my little boy, though he's not so little anymore. I just want what's best for him."

"I understand. I want what's best for him too," Blaine replied with a grateful sigh.

"I'm glad to hear it," Burt said. "Now, I'd like to offer you some advice if that's alright."

"Of course."

"Don't tell Kurt about your promises yet," Burt said firmly, Blaine's brows shooting up in surprise. "He's overwhelmed, Blaine. I guarantee you he's yet to fully wrap his head around the fact that you're meant to be his. I'm sure the next few days will consist of him screaming and flailing around the house like a lunatic," he joked, Blaine chuckling at the image. "So I ask you to please refrain from telling him too much right now. Let him come to terms with everything first."

"I understand, Mr. Hummel, and I agree. I did plan on telling him tonight but you're right, it's probably best that I wait," Blaine replied with a small smile.

"I appreciate that, Blaine. Also, if you could do me the favor of calling me Burt instead of Mr. Hummel, I would be really grateful. Mr. Hummel always makes me feel old."

Blaine laughed good-naturedly. "I think I can do that, Burt."

"Ok seriously, it's not that funny," Kurt said in annoyance as David's laugh roared through the bus.

"I just, I can't, oh my god," David breathed through his fit of laughter.

Kurt rolled his eyes, tapping his foot impatiently. "He's been in there a long ass time. What on Earth are they talking about?" he asked more to himself.

Santana shrugged, glancing at David who continued laughing. Jeff, Nick, and Wes were unable to hold back their own laughter and Kurt could only roll his eyes. "Not you too," Santana whined.

"Sorry, Tana, but the Nude Erections? Really?" Jeff asked with a raised brow, David laughing even harder.

"Oh my god, I can't, please stop," David shook his head.

"And now you know why we didn't want to tell you," Kurt drawled, picking at his fingernails.

"Stop it, Hummel. Sue's gonna pitch a fit," Santana warned.

"I know," Kurt snapped, tucking his hands underneath his legs. "I'm just nervous because they've been talking for fucking ever in there and this fool," he nodded at David, "won't stop cackling like a damn hyena and it's working my last nerve!" The door that led to the back opened up and Blaine walked out, Kurt jumping out of his seat and going straight to him. "What did he say? Did he yell at you? Threaten you? Embarrass me?" Blaine raised a brow and chuckled, handing Kurt his phone. "Are you going to answer me or not?"

Blaine chose not to answer and walked past Kurt to the front of the bus. Kurt stood where he was, crossing his arms and turning to glare at Blaine's back. "Tell me when we're almost at Kurt's house," Blaine told Tony who nodded. He turned back around, pouting adorably at the angry look on Kurt's face. He closed the space between them, Kurt's aggravation slowly but surely dissipating as Blaine wrapped his arms around his waist and brought their bodies closer. "Would you like to go in the back with me so we can talk?"

Kurt sighed, melting into Blaine's arms. "Are you going to tell me what you and my dad talked about?"

Blaine scrunched his face as if to think it over and shrugged. Kurt pouted and Blaine smiled, pecking his lips before grabbing hold of his hand and leading him to the back. David stopped them at the door, holding his sides from laughing so hard.

"B, Nude Erections," David chortled. "I can't. I'm done."

Blaine raised a brow and looked at Kurt. "What's he talking about?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Our glee club name, we're the New Directions," he said giving David a pointed look. Blaine mouthed the word new and then stopped, pursing his lips to prevent himself from laughing.

"Cause that doesn't make their director sound like a pedophile, right Blaine?" Wes asked sarcastically.

"That's what I said," Santana sang, twirling her hair. "But no, don't nobody listen to me."

Blaine chuckled and shook his head. "We'll be in the back."

"Behave, Satan," Kurt warned.

"I will if you don't," Santana retorted with a mischievous smirk.

Kurt glared at her but said nothing as Blaine led him to the back of the bus. They passed the bunk beds where the guys slept, Blaine pointing out which one was his, grabbing his laptop and iPad from inside before walking into the back room. He closed the door behind him and led Kurt to the couch, setting his laptop down as they sat. Blaine wanted nothing more than to pull Kurt into his arms and never let go. But after his talk with Burt, he knew he needed to tone down the affection a little and not overwhelm Kurt more than he already was. So instead, he sat a few inches away from him and held their hands in between them.

"You're not going to tell me what my dad said, are you?" Kurt asked with a pout.

Blaine had to resist the urge to kiss him again. He shook his head and smirked. "Afraid not," he said apologetically. "But I assure you it was nothing bad. Your dad seems like an amazing man. You're lucky to have him." Kurt smiled softly and nodded. He knew how truly lucky he was to have a father like Burt. "So, since we have an entire two hours to ourselves, what do you want to talk about?" Blaine asked, leaning back on the couch, inevitably pulling Kurt closer who leaned into his shoulder. "I'm sure you have tons of questions."

Kurt nodded eagerly. "I do. But we don't have to get to everything now. I mean, we have a whole lifetime to get to know each other," he said with a shy smile, his cheeks tinting a light pink. Blaine tilted his head to the side, a half smile on his lips, melting at the adoring look in Kurt's eyes. How was this boy so damn beautiful? "Why don't we do 20 questions and we can just take turns asking?"

Blaine smiled broadly. "I think that's a perfect idea. I'll go first," he said with a coy smile. "What did Santana mean when she said you've been caught in worse positions?"

Kurt's entire face down to his neck turned a bright red and Blaine laughed. His soulmate was entirely too adorable. "Do I really have to?" Kurt whined with a pout.

"Yes," Blaine said with a nod. "As your soulmate, it is my right to know exactly what you and little miss fire cracker have gotten yourselves into," he said cheekily.

Kurt groaned but relented. "It's like I told you earlier, you're my first boyfriend. When we kissed, that was my first real kiss. The first one that truly mattered," he admitted.

"Uh, huh," Blaine nodded, his insides rejoicing at the fact that he was Kurt's first real kiss, his first real everything.

"Well," Kurt continued, "one timeâok, a few times, Tana and I decided that we would, you know, kiss a little," Blaine raised a surprised brow. "But not because we enjoyed it or anything. She wanted to teach me how to kiss so that way when I did get a boyfriend, I wouldn't be so lost."

Blaine turned his body to face Kurt completely. "Ok, and?" he smirked.

Kurt worried his lip, his blush deepening. "She wanted me to be more comfortable in my own skin by pushing my comfort level so one day, we had a full on make out session. We were on my bed and she was straddling me and my dad came home from work early and uh, yeah." Kurt decided not to tell him that it was more of a, let me teach you how to be sexy, lesson than anything else. He may be inexperienced with guys, but thanks to Santana, he had a good idea of how to get things heated.

Blaine bit back a grin. He could only imagine what Burt's reaction was. "So your dad walked in on you and Santana hooking up. I don't know whether to laugh or be jealous," he teased.

"We didn't hook-up!" Kurt immediately argued. "We're both gay! It wasn't anything other than a kissing lesson!"

"Kurt, I was kidding," Blaine chuckled and Kurt narrowed his eyes playfully. "I know it didn't mean anything. Though something tells me she taught you more than just how to kiss," he said with a raised brow and a smirk on his lips. Kurt pursed his lips and said nothing. "I do believe it's your question."

Kurt looked away for a moment and thought of what he wanted to ask first, Blaine watching him curiously. When Kurt looked back at him, Blaine immediately noticed the worry and self-consciousness in his eyes. "How many guys have you been with?" Kurt asked quietly.

Blaine sighed with a hum. "I wish I could say none but that'd be a lie," he replied a little cautiously, unsure of how Kurt would react. "I hooked up with a few when we first moved to LA, and I'm sure you know that I dated Sebastian Smythe for a little while," Kurt made a face that Blaine found entirely too cute. "But that's all. I never had full on intercourse with any of them though, if that makes you feel better."

Kurt raised a surprised brow. "Not even Sebastian? With his reputation, I always figuredâ"

Blaine shook his head, offering Kurt a small smile. "No, we never did. I wanted to save that part forâwell, for you," he chuckled and Kurt grinned. "I feel it's only fair of me to inform you that Seb and I are still really good friends. I'd really like it if you give him a chance whenever you meet him. He's not as bad as the media makes him out to be." Sebastian was a bit of a playboy, but Blaine knew his reasons behind it and he couldn't fault the man for it.

Kurt huffed and rolled his eyes. He didn't particularly want to get to know Blaine's ex but he had to admit that the man was incredibly talented. Sebastian Smythe was one of the most sought out actors of their time. He was a psychotic serial killer in his first movie, his character's conniving personality seemingly so real that many were convinced Sebastian was truly that diabolical. But then his next film, he portrayed a broken father who'd lost his family in a tragic fire, his character having to rebuild his life in a new town and falling in love with the young woman who worked at the local pet shop. Not a single person had left the theater with dry eyes, Sebastian's performance captivating their hearts. Kurt may not like the man, or the man the media portrayed him to be at least, but he wouldn't deny Blaine's request.

"I guess I can be nice, if you want me to be," Kurt replied, Blaine grinning from ear to ear. Other than the guys, Sebastian was one of his closest friends and he admittedly loved the idea of Kurt being friends with him too. "It's your turn to ask a question."

Blaine rubbed his chin and looked up at the sky as if in deep contemplation, Kurt chuckling softly at how adorable he was. Blaine smirked for only a moment before he turned serious. "What's school like for you? I know you're a cheerleader and in show choir, but when you were talking about it earlier, it seemed like things weren't exactly ok," he spoke cautiously.

Kurt let out a long sigh, looking away from Blaine. "School'sâschool sucks most days," he admitted, his shoulders slumping. "Imagine being the only gay boy who also happens to be in the lamest club in school and a cheerleader. McKinley isn't very welcoming or accepting." Blaine raised his hand to Kurt's jaw and stroked it softly as Kurt continued. "Remember how Tana said I was the top bitch?" Blaine nodded. "How do you think I survive?" he asked, Blaine not missing the edginess to his tone.

"Are you being bullied?" Blaine questioned, moving Kurt's face so that he was looking at him. "Is there someone harassing you?"

"I've been bullied my entire life, Blaine," Kurt said honestly, his voice breaking. "I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't be," Blaine said firmly, anger bubbling underneath the surface. He hated the thought of his beautiful Kurt being harassed. "Have you gone to the administration about it? How bad is it?"

Kurt laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, right. With the exception of a few, the teachers are just as homophobic as the students. In their eyes, I deserve what the dumbasses say to me for choosing to like men. Going to the administration is pointless." Blaine opened his mouth to argue but Kurt cut him off. "Can we not talk about this right now? Please?"

Blaine reluctantly nodded, not wanting to upset Kurt more than he already was. He would talk with Eric though, get information on what went on at Kurt's school. There was no way in hell he was going to let this go, even if meant going behind Kurt's back. Kurt's safety and happiness meant everything to him, and that included what went on in the halls of McKinley.

"Thank you," Kurt murmured, feeling bad for snapping at Blaine.

Blaine hated the hurt in Kurt's voice. He hated seeing his beloved anything but happy and carefree. He shouldn't have pushed Kurt for more information on his bullies and now he was upset and it was all Blaine's fault. Without a second thought, Blaine leaned in and captured his lips in a loving kiss, Kurt gasping in surprise but reciprocating. Kurt's hand moved to Blaine's chest, tilting his head slightly as Blaine deepened the kiss. Their mouths moved slowly, Blaine pouring all of his passion and devotion into it. Blaine's hand cupped Kurt's face, his free one resting on Kurt's knee. They parted after a few moments, Kurt's eyes fluttering open to look at Blaine.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said and Kurt raised a quizzical brow. "I shouldn't have pushed you about school."

Kurt shook his head. "Don't be sorry. You did nothing wrong. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

Blaine brushed their noses together. "It's ok. No harm done," he whispered way more seductively than he intended.

The atmosphere around them suddenly grew heavy and they stared deeply into each other's eyes, neither taking things a step further but both unable to back away. There was a part of Blaine that knew he should back off. He could hear Burt's voice in the back of head reminding him not to take advantage of the situation. But there was another voice, one that sounded oddly like his brother, telling him to go for it because it would be months before he saw Kurt again. Kurt was the one that made a move though, mustering up all of his confidence to push Blaine back against the couch and quickly straddling him. He'd fantasized about this exact moment hundreds of times and with Blaine underneath him, looking up at him with surprised but wanting eyes, he couldn't stop the cocky smirk that spread across his lips.

Blaine was too lost in Kurt's eyes to think straight, entranced by the way they darkened. He licked his lips, his hands slowly sliding up Kurt's thighs and snaking around his back. Kurt knew their current position was dangerous. He knew that new soulmates tended to get lost in each other which often led to bonding too soon. But he still found himself leaning forward and capturing Blaine's lips in a passionate kiss, one hand resting on Blaine's chest while the other wrapped around Blaine's neck, his fingers instantly intertwining themselves in Blaine's curls. It wouldn't hurt to fulfill one of his many fantasies for a little while, right?

A/N: See you next week! :)

OH! I know people get nervous when it comes to Sebastian but don't worry, he won't get in the way of Klaine. I just love Sebastian too much not to use him.

Can't Deny You

A/N: Hello my beautiful readers. I just want to say thank you for all the support and I love you all dearly.

With everything going on, both in my life and the tragedy that has struck us, it's going to be a couple of week before I update this again. My family has a lot going on right now and I'm honestly very shaken by what's happened to our Glee family. Writing has been therapeutic, but also hard, especially since this particular Finn is very close to Kurt. I promise you I will be back though.

Quick fyi, I changed Blaine's twitter handle to WarblerBlaine because I just realized that WarblerBlaineAnderson is actually too long.

Thank you MuseInMe3, GleekMom, and BritBoJangles for being my rays of sunshine this week.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

When soulmates first find one another, they go through a stage called The Need. It is the most difficult stage to resist. The Need is fueled by the soul's longing to connect and become one. Soulmates often lose themselves in The Need and give into their desires. While there are no laws which oppose soulmate's becoming intimate upon their first meeting, it is highly advised against it. Becoming too intimate too soon can result in soul bonding without the proper preparation. Soulmates must create an emotional bond within themselves and set the foundation of their love before allowing their souls to connect. Failure to do so can result in the following side effects: False emotion, intense clinginess, and high levels of vulnerability that can lead to mistrust, paranoia, and un-repairable damage to the soul's foundation.

Excerpt from: What it means to Bond

Chapter: Bonding Stages

Blaine had no idea how much time passed. It could've been just a few minutes or days for all he knew. The moment Kurt's lips touched his, Blaine lost himself in a Kurt induced haze. Their mouths moved slowly, sensually, their bodies pressed together. Blaine's hands rested on Kurt's lower back, his thumb gently caressing the strong muscles underneath the shirt. Kurt fisted Blaine's shirt, his fingers tugging Blaine's curls. He ran his tongue over Blaine's, nibbling on Blaine's lower lip and soft moans filled the air. Blaine's hand moved away from Kurt's back and trailed up Kurt's chest, his fingers gently pulling on Kurt's tie. Kurt smirked into the kiss as Blaine undid his tie and top two buttons. Somewhere in the back of Kurt's mind he knew that they needed to stop, that he was letting himself get too lost in the fantasy he'd had for years. But as Blaine's hand trailed down his neck, his fingers tracing Kurt's collarbone, Kurt couldn't be bothered to care about anything but Blaine.

Blaine moved his mouth from Kurt's lips to his jaw and down his neck and Kurt tilted his head to give Blaine better access, a moan escaping his lips when Blaine lightly nipped his neck. Blaine looked up at Kurt and nearly growled at the sight. Kurt's face was flushed, his hair no longer perfectly coiffed but standing on end as if Blaine had pulled the hell out of it, though he doesn't remember doing so. His eyes were closed, his cherry red lips were swollen and his mouth partly open, breathing heavily as Blaine sucked on a sensitive spot. Blaine sucked a little harder, scraping his teeth against Kurt's alabaster skin in response to the breathy moan that Kurt emanated.

Kurt's legs tightened around Blaine's thighs. "Blaine," he breathed, his hips bucking forward on their own accord, their erections pressing hard against each other. Blaine released a guttural moan at the sudden friction and both stopped as the spell broke, their consciences finally catching up to their actions.

They stared at each other for a few moments, both trying to catch their breath as they came back to reality. Blaine pulled back, seeing how completely debauched Kurt looked and immediately wondered how long they'd been making out. "Kurt," he started but Kurt was already sliding off him. He let out a relieved breath and ran his fingers through his hair. They shouldn't have taken things so far and it was his fault for not stopping them sooner, especially after the talk he just had with Burt. Kurt sat on the edge of the couch, his face hidden in his hands. Blaine reached out for him and placed a gentle hand on his back. "Love?"

"I'm sorry," Kurt said just above a whisper, glancing back at Blaine in embarrassment. He couldn't believe he threw himself at Blaine like that and he was mortified by his actions. Blaine gave him a quizzical look and the blush on Kurt's face deepened. "I didn't mean to do that. I got kinda lost there for a minute."

"Kurt, you have nothing to apologize for," Blaine assured him gently but Kurt nodded his head frantically.

"But I do," Kurt argued. "IâI let myself get lost in my fanboy dreams and I shouldn't have done that." Blaine sat up, wrapping his arms around Kurt and resting his head on Kurt's shoulder as Kurt continued. "I promised myself that I wouldn't do that, that I would put aside the fact that you're Blaine Anderson the superstar, and only think of you as Blaine my soulmate. I thought I had a handle on it but I guess I don't have that much willpower," he said sheepishly.

Blaine nuzzled his nose in the crook of Kurt's neck and kissed his cheek. "You have nothing to apologize for," he said again. "You're not the only one that got lost there. I'm sure my being so affectionate isn't helping either," he said bashfully and Kurt shook his head, a smirk on his lips. "I think it would be best if we stepped back a little. We don't want to get too ahead of ourselves."

Kurt took a deep breath and nodded. "You should know though that I really like how affectionate you are," he admitted. "I hadn't expected it but I don't want you to stop."

Blaine chuckled softly. "That's good to hear because I don't think I'd be able to," he said cheekily. "Also, I don't want you to ignore the fact that I'm Blaine Anderson the superstar. It's a part of who I am, Kurt."

"I know," Kurt nodded, their noses brushing. "I still need to separate the two though, at least until I fully wrap my head around the fact that you're mine," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Blaine smiled understandingly and nodded, Burt's words echoing in his mind. Maybe it was a good thing that they met right as the tour started. A single look from Kurt and Blaine knew he'd be unable to resist giving into their desires. The Warblers being on tour forced them to be apart and for the time being, that was what they needed. Kurt needed to come to terms with how different his life would be and they needed to get to know each other on a deeper level before allowing their souls to connect. With a quick peck on Kurt's nose, Blaine unwrapped his arms and stood up to grab his laptop and iPad, adjusting the bulge in his pants as subtly as possible.

Kurt adjusted his own bulge, ran his fingers through his hair and straightened himself out before grabbing his cellphone to look at the time. "Holy crap," he muttered.

"Hm?" Blaine wondered as he settled back down next to his beloved.

"We made out for like, an hour," Kurt replied and Blaine could only grin broadly.

He pulled Kurt into another kiss, dominating Kurt's mouth for only a moment. "I said you weren't the only one that got lost," he whispered against Kurt's lips. Kurt gulped at the sudden intensity. "Which is why we need to distract ourselves from well, ourselves," Blaine laughed as he sat back and turned both devices on. "Do you want to start a riot with me?" he asked with a goofy grin.

Kurt shrugged a little. "I guess."

Sensing Kurt's uncertainty, Blaine paused from logging in and turned to him. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Kurt quickly answered, though he knew from Blaine's raised brow that Blaine didn't believe him. "I justâI'm worried that your fans are going to hate me," he admitted quietly.

"Kurt, they're going to love you," Blaine told him, raising his hand to Kurt's cheek to caress.

"You don't know that," Kurt argued. "Your fans are super intense, Blaine. Trust me, I would know. I'm probably way more involved with your fandom than you."

Blaine scoffed, turning back to his laptop. "That is completely untrue," he said as he logged in. "I'll have you know that I'm quite involved with my fans, despite the fact that everyone thinks us celebrities stay away from websites like Tumblr."

Kurt quirked a brow. "How involved are we talking here?" He asked curiously.

Blaine smirked deviously. "Involved enough to have read some very disturbing fanfiction about Jeff, Nick, and I."

Kurt threw his head back and laughed. "Oh my god! Please tell me you're kidding!"

Blaine shook his head. "Nope. We're all actually really involved without the fans knowing. It's the best way to keep tabs on what people are saying about us." Kurt couldn't help but wonder if Blaine ever saw any of his less than appropriate Tumblr posts. "Which is why I was wondering if we could create a new Twitter account for you? I know the fans are already going crazy over my song dedication and they're going to be searching for you. If we create a new account, one that they can attach themselves to without actually knowing who you are, we can control what's being said and hopefully, prolong them finding your identity."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kurt asked with caution. "Isn't Eric going to be upset?"

"Technically it's our choice, not Eric's. But I did ask his opinion and he agreed that it's a good idea," Blaine told him. "It was actually David who suggested it. That's what he and Katherine did to introduce her to the world."

"But didn't she have to move because the paparazzi stalked her home?" Kurt questioned, his voice going an octave higher. "And what about Wes' wife? Didn't someone try to kidnap her?"

"Eric told you about that, huh?" Blaine asked with a groan and Kurt nodded frantically, his eyes wide. Blaine's certain that Eric only told Kurt as a scare tactic, even though it's the truth. "Ok, I understand your concern but this is different. David and Katherine were open about who she was from the very beginning so it was easy for the paparazzi to find where she lived. We aren't telling them your identity yet. We're simply giving them something to cling onto until we're ready to announce who you are. As far as Vanessa, well, that situation was something else entirely."

"What do you mean?" Kurt wondered.

Blaine sighed. He would have to let Wes know later that he told Kurt what had happened. "Well, for one, Wes had a stalker for little while."

Kurt's jaw dropped. "No way."

"Mhm," Blaine nodded. "It was right after our first tour and we were on break. This fan was very much obsessed with Wes. When Wes found Vanessa, they didn't come out right away, but they were seen together and this man immediately knew that she was Wes' soulmate. The thing is, he refused to accept it because he felt that Wes deserved someone better than her."

"But how would he even know that?" Kurt asked defensively. "It's not like he knew her, right?"

Blaine shook his head, reaching for Kurt's hand and intertwining their fingers. "No, he didn't know Vanessa. But he followed her for a while and took it upon himself to kidnap her and prove that she wasn't really his."

"But why?" Kurt questioned. "What did she do that made this crazy stalker think she wasn't meant to be with Wes?"

"She didn't do anything. He didn't accept her because she's deaf and in his mind, a deaf woman couldn't possibly be Wes' soulmate because she couldn't even appreciate his talent," Blaine told him.

"Oh my god!" Kurt gasped. "What happened?"

"Well, this man, Looney Larry as David likes to call him, didn't know that Vanessa has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, so when he tried to kidnap her, it didn't end well for him."

"What happened to Looney Larry after they caught him?" Kurt asked, needing to know more. "They did catch him, right?"

"Oh yes, they caught him," Blaine assured him. "He was sent to a clinic that specializes in cases like his. Turns out that his own soulmate passed away not long after they bonded and he clung onto Wes. He wasn't a bad man. He just wasn't in the right state of mind."

"Wow," Kurt breathed. "That's crazy. I didn't even know she was deaf."

"Most people don't. After that happened they decided to keep that part under wraps," Blaine said, his thumb running over Kurt's hand. "That's why I wanted to create a new account for you. As much as I love our fans, they tend to get greedy and sometimes, they do some really questionable things to get information on us."

"And if we give them a way to know me without actually knowing me, they'll leave us alone for a little while," Kurt concluded with a nod. "Or rather, they'll relatively leave us alone."

"Right," Blaine sighed, bringing Kurt's hand to his lips and kissing lightly. "If you don't want to, we don't have to. I just figured it was a good way to introduce you without completely flipping your life upside down."

Kurt thought it over for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. On one hand, it was scary to think of all the bad that could come from it. If his identity was found, he would no doubt lose any and all privacy. He would have to constantly watch his back for paparazzi and his home, his family would be put under a microscope. On the other hand, keeping it away from the fans would make Blaine a liar. It would seem like Blaine was hiding Kurt but not for his safety, but because Blaine was somehow ashamed of him. One of the things Kurt had always loved about Blaine is how honest and sincere he was with his fans and although Kurt was worried about how they'd react to him, he didn't feel comfortable asking Blaine to hide him.

With a deep breath, Kurt nodded. "Ok, let's do it."

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked, needing Kurt to be absolutely certain.

Kurt gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I'm sure. They're already assuming that your good luck charm and your soulmate are one in the same. Might as well confirm it."

A bright smile spread across Blaine's face and Kurt could only laugh. Seeing his beloved so excited to announce them made his heart skip a beat. Blaine pecked Kurt's nose and turned his attention to the computer with a mischievous smirk. "This is going to be so good."

"You enjoy starting riots don't you?" Kurt asked teasingly.

Blaine sideways glanced and winked. "Yes, yes I do."

Blaine reached for Kurt's left hand and placed it on top of his thigh. He then rested his hand on Kurt's and intertwined their fingers. Kurt raised a confused brow as Blaine reached for his iPad, a smile gracing his face when Blaine took a picture of their hands. "Do you have an email you can use or do you need a new one?" Blaine asked him as he started editing the photo.

"I have one," Kurt told him.

Blaine nodded as he cropped the photo a little. He then changed it to black and white and chose a border before saving it and showing Kurt. "Do you want to use this as your icon too or do you want something different?"

"You're changing your icon?" Kurt asked in surprise.

Blaine smiled and nodded. "Not until after we announce you but yeah."

Kurt smiled bashfully, looking down at their intertwined hands. "I'll use it too."

Blaine kissed the top of his head and passed Kurt the iPad. Together they setup Kurt's new Twitter, both getting stuck on what his handle should be. Kurt had a difficult time coming up with one his friends wouldn't recognize and every single one Blaine came up with was already taken by one of his fans.

"This is ridiculous," Blaine grumbled when his fourth attempt at a name was in use. "This should not be so hard." Kurt pouted adorably and sighed. Blaine narrowed his eyes at the screen, his fingers drumming on his lap as he tried coming up with the perfect name for his beloved. His face suddenly lit up and he quickly typed in the name, fist pumping the air when he succeeded. "Finally!"

Kurt leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder, smiling softly at his new handle. "HisLuckyCharm. I like it."

Blaine smiled at him. "Alright, for you description how about, Living the teenage dream and your locationâBlaine's heart," he winked and Kurt couldn't help laugh. "What?"

"Nothing. I just um, when you left me in the dressing room right after we met, I changed my description and location," Kurt told him, a light blush on his cheeks.

Blaine raised a curious brow and turned to his laptop where he was already signed into his Twitter. He searched for Kurt's account and his heart melted at the changes his beloved had made. He grabbed hold of Kurt's tie and brought their mouths together in a quick but heated kiss. "You're amazing," he said wistfully as they parted, Kurt leaning his head on Blaine's. "You ready?"

Kurt nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Hey, it's starting," Wes said, grabbing his laptop and walking to the dining table, Jeff, Nick, and David following and sitting around him.

"What's starting?" Santana asked, barely glancing up from her phone where she had been texting Quinn.

"Blaine's going to announce he found his soulmate," Jeff answered excitedly.

Santana's head shot up. "What?!"

"Yeah, he created a new Twitter for Kurt the fans can follow. He just tweeted so he should be announcing it soon," Wes told her, laughing at how quickly she stood up and sat next to them. He pushed his laptop a little further on the table so they could all see.

WarblerBlaine : Thank you so much Columbus! Tonight was absolutely spectacular! I can't think of a better way to kick off the tour!

WarblerBlaine : There's something important I'd like to discuss with all of you but I need to know that I can trust you.

WarblerBlaine : Can I trust you?

Blaine stared at his screen as his mentions exploded, contemplating how he wanted to go about telling his fans about Kurt while Kurt searched for the guys on the iPad and followed them from his new account. He also followed a few other of his favorite celebrities before deciding to follow Sebastian as well. Blaine smiled softly to himself when he saw what Kurt was doing. It warmed his heart that Kurt was willing to give Sebastian a chance for him. After a few more minutes, Blaine decided it would be easiest to write one long tweet so he logged into his twitlonger and started typing.

WarblerBlaine : That last question was rhetorical. I know I can trust you. You've always been there for me and supported me throughout my career and for that I can only thank you. I'm so blessed to have such amazing fans. I truly love every single one of you and that is why I've decided to share a very special story with you.

Six years ago I was nothing but a high school graduate trying to make it in the business. I sang at Goodale Park for tips in hopes that one day I would be lucky enough to inspire others with my music. There was a moment where I almost gave up hope and questioned whether it was even worth it. But then, I met a young boy with captivating eyes and an infectious smile, and he unknowingly gave me the strength to keep going. His enthusiasm and his encouragement gave me the courage I needed to keep trying no matter how impossible it seemed. It was the best decision I've ever made. A few days after meeting him, my best friend's found me singing in the park, they decided to join me for a few songs, and a little while later, Eric discovered us. I knew right then and there that he was my good luck charm and I would forever be grateful to him.

I knew that tonight would be a phenomenal night and thanks to all of you who attended the concert, it was all that and more. What I didn't know was that tonight, I would get the surprise of my life. That young boy was at our concert tonight and he is now a breathtakingly gorgeous man who has once again, changed my life. Because you see, he's not only my good luck charm, he's also my soulmate.

That's right. I, Blaine Anderson, have finally found my one and only.

I'm sure many of you had already deduced that my good luck and my soulmate are one in the same but I wanted to tell you all officially. I wanted to share this with you because it's a special moment for me, for us, and we want you to be a part of it. We've decided to keep his identity a secret for now simply because we want the chance to truly get to know each other without the outside world looking in and I ask you to please respect that. Can you all do that for me? For us? Can you promise me to let me selfishly keep my beloved to myself for the time being?

"How's that?" Blaine asked as he turned to look at Kurt who was already reading. He noticed the tears in his beloved's eyes and remembered Burt's warning about Kurt being overwhelmed. "Kurt, are you ok?"

Kurt looked up at him, shock in his eyes. "You almost gave up?" he asked shakily. "I stopped you?"

Blaine visibly paled and looked away from Kurt. It hadn't occurred to him how much admitting that to his beloved would affect him. "Iâyeah, I almost gave up," he answered, his voice small. "I wasn't exactly doing well and I justâI don't knowâhad a moment where I questioned my talent." He looked back up at Kurt through his lashes, Kurt's breathing becoming shallow when he noticed the vulnerability in Blaine's eyes. "Then you came along and reminded me why I wanted to sing in the first place."

Kurt slid the iPad aside and threw his arms around Blaine, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Blaine wrapped one arm around him and held him close. "Thank you for not giving up," Kurt whispered. "Thank you for believing in yourself. I would've been lost without you."

Blaine kissed his cheek gently before pulling away. "You mean so much to me, Kurt, for more reasons than you know. I wouldn't be me without you. Thank you for believing in me."

"Always. I'll always believe in you," Kurt whispered as he wiped away the stray tears and sat back. "I'm ready when you are," he said with a small smile.

Blaine smiled back and breathed deeply before turning back to the computer and hitting send. "Let the frenzy begin."

The response was instantaneous. Blaine's mentions erupted with congratulatory tweets and promises, his fans encouraging him to be selfish with his beloved because he deserved nothing but happiness in his life. Many commented on how their story was like a real life fairy tale and Blaine silently agreed, glancing at his prince and once again promising himself that he would do everything in his power to make all of his beloved's dream come true.

"I told you they wouldn't hate you," Blaine teased softly.

Kurt nudged him playfully. "Yet. We'll see what happens when they truly realize they can't have you."

Blaine chuckled and shook his head, turning his attention back to his laptop.

WarblerBlaine: Thank you all for the incredibly kind words. It means the world to me that you're encouraging me to be selfish with my beloved. Except that,

"Here we go," Blaine muttered as he typed his next tweet, Kurt inhaling deeply.

WarblerBlaine: I can't be entirely selfish. I want you to share this momentous occasion with me. My darlings, I introduce you to my beloved *HisLuckyCharm

Kurt held his breath as his follower count skyrocketed. As he went from zero followers to millions of followers almost instantly, it occurred to him that he would have to really watch what he said. He would always have to be conscious of what questions he answered and how to reply. He knew that fans tended to overanalyze everything and the last thing he wanted to do was give them ammunition to hate him.

"I'm going to have to censor the hell out of myself when I tweet now," he groaned. He hated not being able to speak his mind.

Blaine pouted. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Kurt sighed. "It is what it is, right? Besides, I'll only censor myself for now. As soon as they know who I am, I'm gonna tweet whatever the hell I want and they can get over it," he said and Blaine laughed.

"I hope you know that I really like how snarky you are," Blaine replied flirtatiously. "It's sexy," he said lowly.

Kurt bit his lower lip and kept his gaze on the screen, knowing full well that if he so much as looked at Blaine right now, he would lose any and all willpower he had left. He needed to behave. "What should my first tweet be?" he asked and Blaine could tell by the quiver in his voice that he was having difficulties resisting the urge to let go of all inhibitions. He was both proud and amused by the affect he had on his beloved. Being apart for the time being was definitely a good thing.

"Hm, well you are a Warblers fan. Why not talk about tonight's show?" Blaine suggested, tilting his head to the side and smiling at the adorable look of concentration on Kurt's face.

Kurt hummed and nodded. "Ok yeah, I can do that," he said as he typed his first tweet.

HisLuckyCharm : Hi everyone! Who else was at the concert tonight? Weren't they amazing?! I mean really, talk about flawless!

Blaine preened and brushed his shoulder off. "We were pretty spectacular," he said smugly.

Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yes, yes you were."

They spent the next thirty minutes talking to fans on twitter, answering questions about how they met the first time and tweeting each other as if they weren't sitting right next to one another. Kurt had to admit that it was kind of fun watching the fans go crazy over their flirty tweets. Not a single person sent him any hate either, though he suspected it was because Blaine was online as well and the fans wouldn't want to upset their idol. He wasn't naÃve enough to believe that he wouldn't receive some kind hate later on.

The fans were desperate to know his name but they both agreed that giving it out was a bad idea. So instead, they gave the fans his first initial and the fans immediately came up with Klaine. Kurt had to laugh at that one. If the fans only knew how many times he called them Klaine in his own mind before finding out that Blaine was his. Kurt decided not to tell them that he had already come up with that name years ago. He already had Blaine to himself. The least he could do was allow them to come up with their couple name.

Blaine was impressed by how well Kurt handled the questions from the fans and he was proud of his fans for being so kind to his Kurt. He could only hope the kindness lasted. The fans were happy with the information they had now but Blaine knew they would want more soon. He also knew there would be a certain group of fans that were going to hate Kurt because he wasn't Sebastian and those were the ones he worried about. He would have to talk with Sebastian soon and ask for his help keeping things under control.

After the QA, Kurt asked Blaine if he would sing for him so that he could record it and convert it into Blaine's ringtone. Blaine happily obliged and sang I'll Make A Man Out Of You. Kurt melted as Blaine serenaded him. How he got lucky enough to get someone as incredible as Blaine Anderson to be his was beyond him but he was going to enjoy every second of it. The moment Blaine set his guitar down, Kurt was on his lap again. He needed to take advantage of the time they had together before Blaine left him. God only knows when he'd have the chance to feel Blaine's lips on his again.

Burt waited by the window anxiously, practically jumping out of his skin when he saw The Warblers' bus driving down their street. "They're here!" he shouted and quickly headed outside, Finn and Carole close behind.

They waited in the driveway as the bus parked on the curb, Finn bouncing on his heels excitedly. He had never been a huge fan of The Warblers simply because Kurt had been obsessed with them for as long as he could remember. But now that Blaine was his brother's soulmate, he couldn't help but get excited at the prospect of meeting them. He momentarily thought of how happy Rachel was going to be when she found out but quickly squashed the thought, reminding himself that this was one secret he couldn't let slip. He internally cringed. Rachel was going to be pissed when she found out that he kept this from her.

Eric stepped out of his car and looked around the neighborhood. He was grateful it was so late. With the exception of the Hummel home, the rest of the houses on the street had their lights off indicating everyone was asleep. With a sigh, he radioed Tony that it was clear and headed up the driveway.

"Good evening, Burt. I'm Eric, The Warblers' manager," he greeted and shook Burt's hand. "Let's get the rest of the introductions done inside. I don't want the guys out here for too long," he said as the bus door opened and Tony stepped out.

"Yes, of course," Burt quickly nodded and led the way.

Once inside, everyone gathered in the livingroom, Kurt by Blaine's side and Santana by Jeff and Nick. Both had two big bags filled with Warbler gear, Kurt's bag being extra special because it also contained a few of Blaine's shirts and his bodywash. Kurt had blushed profusely when Blaine gave it to him and Blaine couldn't help but send him bedroom eyes. His soulmate was entirely too adorable when he got embarrassed.

"Alright, we're already a bit behind schedule so let's get things started," Eric told them, his clipboard and a packet of papers in his hands.

The Warblers, Tony, Charles, and Alex, the crew member that had driven Santana's car, introduced themselves to Kurt's family. Carole and Burt were admittedly flustered by the two huge body guards and Finn was awestruck by The Warblers. When it came to Kurt introducing Blaine to his father, Burt cut in before his son even had the chance, pulling Blaine into an embrace. Blaine was surprised by the greeting but didn't question it.

Burt stepped back, keeping his hands on Blaine's shoulders and smiled. "Welcome to the family, Blaine."

Blaine returned the smile. "Thank you, sir."

"I'm going to show him my room while you guys talk. Is that ok?" Kurt asked both his father and Eric. "Or did you need us down here?"

Eric shook his head and Burt smirked. "That's fine," Burt said a little too easily. Kurt raised a confused brow but said nothing and led Blaine upstairs.

The moment they were out of earshot, Burt chuckled. "I hope Blaine doesn't freak out over the twelve foot poster Kurt has on his wall," he joked.

David barked out a laugh. "As long as it's not a life size Blaine doll, I think he's good."

Kurt made it all the way to his bedroom door before realizing why his dad was amused at the idea of Kurt showing Blaine his room. He turned to look at Blaine and gulped nervously. "Maybe we should go downstairs and listen in on everything. You know, for safety and stuff."

Blaine smiled and shook his head. "They don't need us down there and to be completely honest, I'm really rather curious to see your room," he smirked.

Kurt whined a little. "Ok justâdon't laugh at me, ok? Remember that up until this morning, I was just another crazy Blaine Anderson fanboy." Blaine pursed his lips and nodded. Kurt groaned, opened his bedroom door and ushered Blaine in. "Ta-da," he said meekly.

Blaine glanced around the room and instantly noticed the posters of him and the guys on Kurt's wall. He smirked as he walked over to the one of him that took up almost the entire wall and posed like he had in the picture. "What do you think? Do I look the same?" he asked teasingly, doing his absolute best not to laugh.

Kurt pouted and crossed his arms. "It's not funny," he whined though he couldn't help but smile.

Blaine chuckled and walked over to him. "It's a little funny," he said as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist and brought their bodies together. "It's also very cute. You really are my biggest fan."

Kurt melted into Blaine's arms and nodded. "I promised you I would be," he sighed and leaned in to kiss his beloved.

They kissed gently for a few minutes, both needing to taste, to feel one another before they were forced to part ways. There was a moment when Blaine unintentionally nibbled on Kurt's lower lip teasingly and Kurt could only moan into Blaine's mouth, the air around them growing heavy. Kurt pulled back slightly and smirked at how Blaine chased his lips. He stepped them backwards towards his bed, pulling Blaine down with him as he sat.

"Kurt," Blaine started but Kurt shushed him, scooting back so that he could lie down.

"It'll be months before I see you again," Kurt whispered against Blaine's skin, his lips kissing down Blaine's neck. "Indulge me," he purred.

"The door's wide open," Blaine protested weakly. "You're going to get us in trouble."

Kurt stopped, laid his head back on his pillow and pouted up at Blaine with big innocent eyes. Blaine had to bite back a moan. "I'm really going to miss you when you leave," Kurt said, his fingers trailing up Blaine's arm teasingly. "So, so much."

Blaine couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take the way Kurt was looking at him with doe eyes. He couldn't take the way Kurt's foot rubbed his leg. He couldn't take being on top of his breathtakingly gorgeous soulmate and not take advantage of the situation. He was only human, and the need to connect was too strong, too powerful. With absolutely no regret, Blaine slid his hand down Kurt's thigh, dug his fingers in, and claimed Kurt's lips in a searing kiss.

Santana walked up the stairs cautiously, partly because she didn't want to interrupt Kurt and Blaine's last few moments but mostly because she was hoping they were making out and she wanted to watch. It wasn't her fault her best friend and his soulmate were so damn sexy. She stealthily walked around the corner of Kurt's hallway and froze in her spot.

"Oh my god," she mouthed and quickly pulled out her phone.

She clicked on her camera and pressed record, taking the smallest of steps as she got closer to their door. Blaine was on top of Kurt kissing him with fervor, Kurt's leg was wrapped around Blaine's torso holding their bodies close together, and Blaine's hips were rocking back and forth. Santana had to stop herself from squealing. Kurt was having a major make-out, frottage session with Blaine freaking Anderson, on his bed, with his door completely open and zero fucks to give. She was so proud of him.

She stood by the door and zoomed in on them, admittedly getting aroused by the sight and the sounds they were making. After a few more minutes of filming, she made her presence known. "It's a good thing Finn wasn't the one that came up here."

Blaine instantly got off Kurt and out of the bed, laughing with embarrassment. Kurt leaned on his elbows and scowled at her. "What the hell, Tana?"

She ignored him though and zoomed in on Blaine's crotch. "Well hello there Mr. Anderson."

Blaine glanced down and quickly turned his back to her to adjust. He couldn't believe he let himself get lost again. Thank god it was Santana who caught them and not Burt. That was not the impression he wanted to leave on the man that had already threatened him with a shotgun.

"What do you want?" Kurt snapped as he sat up and adjusted himself. He was pissed at getting interrupted because Blaine felt so good, better than any fantasy. But he was grateful it was Santana and not Finn or heaven forbid, his father.

Santana stopped recording and sent Kurt a proud smirk. "I came up here to tell you that they're just about done down there. You might wannaâwrap things up here before daddy dearest decides to come check in on you."

"Ok, you told us. Now go. We'll be down in a minute," Kurt said, a wave of sadness crashing down on him.

"Mhm," Santana replied with an unconvinced brow and sauntered off.

Kurt let out a breath and got off his bed, walking over to Blaine and wrapping his arms around his waist. "I'm really sorry," he said with sincerity. "That was my fault."

Blaine turned around in his arms and sighed. "It was my fault too. You are just really irresistible."

Kurt shrugged a little, a blush on his cheeks. "I'm sorry?" he chuckled. "I justâI can't tell you how many times I've imagined you doing that and-"

"Don't," Blaine interrupted. "Please. Don't finish that sentence. I'm having a hard enough time as is," he said and both laughed, their erections pressed together. "We really need to get downstairs before I throw you back on that bed and ravish you."

Kurt whined and reluctantly let go. "Ok but before we go, I want to give you something." He walked to his dresser and pulled out a few shirts he wore to bed. He also grabbed his cologne and handed them to Blaine. He then walked to the side of his bed and picked up a stuffed puppy with big brown eyes. "This is Sir Devon the Knight," he told Blaine softly. "The New Directions went to a carnival this summer and Finn won a bunch of crap playing the games. I stole this one because it reminded me of you," he handed Blaine the puppy and Blaine held it close to his heart. "I want you to have it. He could keep you company on the road."

"Thank you, love. I'll keep him safe," Blaine promised him.

"I know you will," Kurt sighed with a sad smile. "Come on. We better get downstairs."

There was no denying it. Goodbye's sucked. After Kurt and Blaine straightened themselves out and walked downstairs, the guys immediately started heading to the bus. Jeff and Nick were ready to go have some alone time in their bunk, Wes and David were eager to speak with their wives, and Eric was determined to make up the time they lost. The goodbyes were quick and before Kurt could truly grasp it, Blaine was on the bus driving away to their next destination. A deep sense of loss quickly settled and Kurt had to ignore it or he would cry.

He and Santana got ready for bed and settled in for the night, the day's events replaying in their minds. Santana turned to look at Kurt to see him staring at the poster on his wall and inhaling Blaine's shirt which he was wearing. Without a word, she grabbed her phone and replayed the video. Kurt's head snapped to her the moment he heard them moaning.

"You are such a perv!" He said harshly as he tried to snatch her phone away. "You better delete that!"

"I am, I am," she drawled. "Right after I send it to you. And Blaine."

"You better not send that to Blaine!"

"Too late," She singsonged after she pressed send. "Damn am I glad I got Blaine's number from Jeff."

Kurt's phone vibrated and he couldn't help but blush when he saw that Santana did indeed send it to him. "I hate you," he grumbled, quickly texting Blaine he was sorry that Santana sent him the video.

"You'll love me later when you're alone and missing him," Santana replied matter-of-factly. "Goodnight," she said and turned to her side.

"Night," Kurt huffed as he opened the text from Blaine.

From: Blaine Anderson

Tell her thank you. ;)

Goodnight my love. Dream of me.

Kurt smiled, the ache in his heart dissipating slightly and text Blaine back before putting his phone on the night stand.

From: Kurt Hummel

Goodnight Blaine. Always.

A/N: I hope you liked it. See ya soon. Kisses and hugs to each and every one of you!

Destined to Be

A/N: Hello my lovely, wonderfully patient readers. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being so truly incredible. I love each and every single one of you.

I had originally planned on getting a few chapters done before posting this one but decided to update anyway. The next chapter has been started so hopefully it won't be too long before the next update. Again, I thank you all for your support and patience.

The song featured in this chapter is First Time by the Jonas Brothers, and it's one of the songs the guys play instruments to, just an fyi.

This chapter is dedicated to Marnitheklainer whose review brought the biggest smile to my face, and UConnHusky90 for being so awesome.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

The first time soulmates meet isn't always the first meeting. Soulmates often run through the same path unbeknownst to them. It is believed that Fate is a powerful being which works alongside The Mira to bring soulmates together. Fate will bring soulmates together when they are most needed, but it will also crash soulmates together for its own amusement. While The Mira is forever in its lands bonding souls, Fate roams the world unseen and usually causing mischief. Many believe that Fate is a nymph from the times when soulmates first appeared, and although there is no proof of Fate's existence, it is highly advised not to question its power or motives.

Excerpt from: Fate Knows Best

Kurt sat in the children's room and waited for his mommy and daddy. His mommy was sick, really sick, and she had been staying in the hospital for a little while. He missed her a lot. He was happy she was coming home and he hoped she would be able to stay this time. He hated it when she wasn't home to play with him and snuggle with his daddy.

"You wait right here young man," Kurt heard an angry male voice say. "I don't want to hear a single word from you."

Kurt looked up from the toy he'd been playing with to see an older boy begrudgingly walk into the kid's room. He took a seat next to Kurt and groaned in pain. One arm was in a cast, he had bandages on the other, his eyes were beat up and bruised, and his lip was split open. Kurt set the toy down and turned his full attention to the boy.

"Are you ok?" Kurt asked quietly and the boy jumped in surprise.

Blaine eyed Kurt curiously and nodded. "M'fine," he mumbled.

Kurt gingerly cupped Blaine's face, his eyes surveying Blaine's bruises. Blaine stopped breathing for a moment, not used to the gentle touch. "You don't look ok," Kurt said sadly. "Did something bad happen? Are you sick?"

Tears prickled in Blaine's eyes and he pulled away from Kurt. "I'm notâI'm not sick," he spoke somberly. "I got beat up." The words slipped out before Blaine could even realize what he was saying. He had no idea why he just admitted that to the little boy but there was something warm and inviting about him.

"Why would someone beat you up?" Kurt asked almost angrily. "That's not nice."

Blaine shrugged. "The world's not nice."

"Sweetie, we can go home."

Kurt looked at the doorway and his eyes lit up when he saw his parents. He ran to them but stopped halfway and quickly turned back around to Blaine. To Blaine's utter shock, Kurt threw his small arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Blaine melted into the embrace.

"Don't let the bad people get you," Kurt whispered and kissed Blaine's cheek before running to his parents. Blaine smiled softly to himself and touched his cheek. For the first time in weeks, he felt hope.

Kurt's eyes fluttered open, the early morning rays streaming through his window. He blinked a few times, the dream fresh in his mind. What the hell was that, he wondered. He remembered that day vaguely. He had been so young and the days of him waiting for his mother in the hospital tended to blend together. But why had he dreamt that now of all times? Why had his mind replaced the boy with a younger Blaine? It was probably because of all the emotions he went through yesterday. Finding Blaine, talking about his mother, his life completely flipping upside down. Yeah, that has to be it.

Kurt rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and let the dream slip away for the time being. He could feel Santana's arm wrapped around his waist securely and her head resting close to his back. Santana was by far the biggest cuddle whore Kurt had ever met. He stretched a little, holding back a laugh when Santana groaned, and reached for his phone to look at the time. It was just after 6am. His eyes shifted over to Blaine's name on his wrist and a wide smile spread across his face. Blaine Anderson is his soulmate. Blaine Anderson! How was that even possible? How was this real? Without another thought, Kurt pulled up Blaine's contact info and called him using facetime. He needed to see Blaine. He needed to know that he wasn't dreaming. After a couple of rings, a sleepy Blaine answered.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he greeted with a soft smile.

Kurt held back a squeal. Blaine was still in his bunk sleeping and Kurt could see the corner of Sir Devon the Knight's ears. He couldn't believe it. Blaine had actually slept with it. "Good morning, Blaine," Kurt replied, a light blush on his cheeks. "I didn't mean to wake you, I'm sorry. I just needed to make sure yesterday was real."

Blaine chuckled as he moved from his side to his back and Kurt noticed that Blaine was wearing his shirt too. "It was real, beautiful," Blaine said wistfully. "I'm real and I'm all yours." Kurt couldn't help but giggle. His insides were squirming with delight and he was near ready to explode. Santana groaned behind him again only much angrier. "What was that?"

Kurt moved the phone above him so that Blaine could see Santana. "She's not a morning person," he chuckled. Blaine pouted and Kurt could only pout with him. "What's wrong?"

"She gets to cuddle with you and I don't," Blaine said adorably in a baby voice, hugging Sir Devon the Knight against his chest.

"Yeah but you get to do things with me she could only ever dream of," Kurt flirted, his entire face turning a deep red.

Blaine raised a surprised brow and let out a laugh, his own blush setting in. "Kurt, you can'tâyou can't say things like that when you're so far away," he said thickly.

Before Kurt could respond though, Santana cut in. "Dios mÃo si no te calles te voy a apuÃalar a los dos en la cara," she grunted, kicking Kurt's leg hard to show how serious she was, though Kurt simply rolled his eyes.

"What did she just say?" Blaine asked in a whisper.

"That she would stab us in the face if we don't shut up," Kurt replied uncaringly. "She's just being a cranky bitch," he said loudly and she kicked him again. "Ow!"

"Shut up!" she whined.

"I should actually let you go," Blaine said regrettably, stifling a yawn. "I have about an hour left to sleep and I don't want Tana to stab you in the face," he smirked, his voice teasing.

Kurt pouted a little but nodded. "Ok. Call me when you can?"

"Of course. As soon as I get the chance," Blaine assured him. "I'll talk you later, love."

"Bye," Kurt said with a small smile and ended the call.

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his phone clutched in his hands. He waited only a few seconds before exploding. "AAAAAHHH!" he screamed, scrambling out of his bed.

"The fuck," Santana griped, finally opening her eyes to see Kurt flailing and giggling like a maniac. "Are you fucking serious right now?"

Kurt jumped on his bed, straddled Santana, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Tana! Blaine Anderson is my soulmate! Blaine Anderson is my soulmate! AAAH!" Kurt got off the bed and ran over to his poster, plastering his body against it. "This man, this gorgeous, talented, caring, unbelievably perfect man is mine! Oh my God!"

"Do you have to freak out about this right now?" Santana whined, though she was smirking.

Apparently he did because instead of answering her, Kurt started pacing his room and continued rambling. "How did this happen? How is this even possible? I'm just Kurt, simple Kurt, and he's, he's Blaine Anderson. He's Blaine Anderson! AAAAH! BLAINE ANDERSON IS MY SOULMATE!" he shouted and thrashed around. "Oh my God! I get to hug him and kiss him and have sex with him!" he gasped, his hands flying to his mouth as he recalled the moment David was filming them. "I get to marry him! Santana, I get to marry Blaine Anderson! AAAH!"

Kurt's door suddenly opened. "Not if you don't make it to your wedding day," Burt grunted from the doorway in aggravation.

Kurt slowly turned around. "Morning, Dad," he said sheepishly.

Burt glared at him and huffed. "Son, I get that you're excited, but it's early as hell and we are trying to sleep. Stop. Screaming."

"Stop screaming. Got it," Kurt assured him. "Sorry."

Burt grumbled and closed the door. As soon he was gone, Kurt started flailing his arms excitedly but held back the screams. Santana snorted in amusement. Kurt was such a dork sometimes. Kurt hurried back to his bed and jumped on top of Santana. "Tana," he said with wide eyes.

"I know, I know. Blaine Anderson is your soulmate. I got it," she drawled with an eye roll. Kurt let out a quiet squeal and Santana laughed. "It is pretty cool," she nodded.

Kurt sighed, rolled off of her, and flopped on his side of the bed. "It's amazing," he breathed before kicking his legs in the air. It's official. Kurt Hummel is the luckiest person on the planet.

A little over two hours later, Quinn arrived at Kurt's house. Part of her was still pissed off at him and Santana for acting so weird the night before. She wasn't stupid. She knew something was going on. But she decided to wait until after they gave her the merchandise they promised her before bitching at them. She greeted Carole politely when she opened the door, she gave Burt a smile as she walked through the kitchen, and she smacked Finn on the head when she passed him in the livingroom.

"Mean!" Finn yelled out to her from the couch and went back to playing his video game.

Quinn hurried upstairs, knocked on Kurt's door twice, and then opened it. She raised a brow when she saw Kurt and Santana sitting stoically on Kurt's bed waiting for her. "Hey," she said cautiously. Santana gestured to the open spot on the bed and Quinn took a seat. "What's going on?" Kurt and Santana looked at each other for a moment before holding their pinkies out to Quinn. "The Pinky Promise handshake?" she asked, glancing at Kurt's cuffed wrist. "If this is about your soulmate, I swear I won't tell," she assured him a little frantically.

Quinn hated the pinky promise handshake. They all did. Breaking it meant the others were allowed to spill whatever secret they felt necessary and both held all of Quinn's deepest, darkest secrets. Well, all but one secret. She'd take that one to her grave. When neither Santana nor Kurt pulled their hands back, Quinn relented, groaning when she took Kurt's pinky. They did their secret handshake and pecked each other's lips before Quinn turned to Santana to do the same. Quinn ignored the way her heart raced when Santana's plump lips touched hers. She really needed to get a grip on her situation.

"Ok, who is it?" Quinn demanded, annoyed that they had taken the secret of Kurt's soulmate so far. Kurt handed her his wrist and kept his face free of all emotion. Quinn huffed and grabbed his arm, unceremoniously removing Kurt's cuff and turning his hand over to look at his wrist. Her jaw dropped, her eyes slowly shifting up to look at Kurt who was smirking at her. "You'reâthis isn'tâthis is a joke, right?" she asked glancing at Santana. "This isn't real. This can't be real."

Santana shrugged slightly, though her lips upturned into a smirk, and handed Quinn her camera. Quinn snatched it out of her hand and quickly scrolled through the pictures of the concert. She froze on the photo of Kurt and Blaine staring into each other's eyes completely lost in their own world. Slowly, she looked up from the camera to see Santana and Kurt watching her, both wearing the same expectant face, and screamed at the top of her lungs. Kurt and Santana burst into laughter, Santana grabbing her phone and pulling up the video of Kurt and Blaine making out. Quinn watched it in shock before tackling Kurt on the bed.

"Kurt Hummel you whore!" She shouted and Kurt continued laughing. "Tell me everything!"

Burt huffed as he opened Kurt's bedroom door, not at all surprised by what he walked in on. Quinn was sitting at the end of the bed giggling, Kurt was lying down laughing hysterically, and Santana was on top of him essentially dry humping him. Burt shook his head. He was entirely too used to this. He crossed his arms across his chest and cleared his throat loudly. Quinn covered her mouth to stop from laughing, Kurt pursed his lips and gave his father an apologetic look, and Santana grinned sheepishly as she slid off Kurt. Burt gave them a pointed look before shaking his head and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him. The moment the door shut, all three burst into laughter again.

"Kurt," Quinn started, grabbing hold of his hands. "You're living a damn fairy tale!"

Kurt sighed happily. "I know."

"So what happens now?" Quinn wondered.

"We go on with our lives for now," Kurt replied with a shrug. "I mean, he's on tour, I'm in school. We talk and get to know each other. That's all we really can do."

"When are you going to see him again?" Quinn asked as Santana settled her head on Quinn's lap. Quinn immediately threaded her fingers in her hair.

"Probably not till Christmas break," Kurt replied with a sad smile. "But that's fine. It's just around the corner anyway." Kurt reached for his laptop which was on the floor next to his bed and grabbed Santana's phone and camera. "Right now though, we gotta sort through these pictures and videos and make sure no one but us sees them."

"Get real, Hummel. You just want to make sure you have that video on wide screen," Santana purred with a wink. "Not that I blame you. That shit was totally hot."

Quinn hummed and nodded in agreement but Kurt rolled his eyes and ignored the way his body tried to react. The girls didn't need to know how much he actually loved the video of him and Blaine making out. Then again, the girls didn't need to be told. The deep red on Kurt's cheek was more than enough indication.

"Can you believe it?" Blaine gushed to Cooper on the phone. "After all this time, he was right there just waiting for me! I mean, how could that be? How is it possible that I didn't know he was mine back then?"

"It's quite possible, Blainers," Cooper said with a laugh. "How many times did I see Monica before realizing that she was mine? How many times did I bitch about the woman who stole my scone only to find out that she was soulmate?"

Blaine nodded to himself, knowing that Cooper was right. He and Monica had skirted around each other for months, exchanging disgruntled looks and snappy remarks as they cut each other off in line in their hurry to get coffee. It wasn't until Cooper ran straight into her and spilled her coffee that they officially met. Funny enough, it was the anxiety Cooper felt that morning that led to the literal run-in. It amazed Blaine how fate brought soulmates together.

"I know," Blaine sighed. "It just blows my mind that he's the same little boy from that night."

"What would you have done had you known back then?" Cooper asked him. "How would 18 year old you reacted to meeting him?"

Blaine didn't need to think that over. He already knew how he would've reacted. "I would've ran," he admitted. "I wouldn't have believed that it was him and I would've freaked. I wasn't prepared back then. I wasn't ready to take care of him. Hell I was barely able to take care of myself."

"Exactly," Cooper said and Blaine could hear the smugness in his voice as if he had already known Blaine's answer. "Soulmates meet when they're supposed to, when fate wants them to. That's why hardly anyone uses the system to find their soulmate. No one wants to mess with fate little brother." Blaine heard someone talking in the background and Cooper telling them he'd be right there. "Listen, Squirt, I gotta go. They need me back on set. But give me a call later. I wanna know more about this amazing Kurt."

"I will," Blaine said with a smile. "I'll talk to you later, Coop."

"Later, Blaine. Have a good show," Cooper replied and ended the call.

Blaine set his phone down on the table, walked over to their mini fridge to grab a bottle of water, and sat back down. He checked the time, calculating he had approximately twenty minutes before he needed to head back inside for their regular meet and greet. He scrolled through his contacts quickly and made his next call.

"Hey, Killer," Sebastian greeted, that ever present seductiveness in his voice. "I was wondering when you'd call."

Blaine chuckled lightly. "You're not going to yell at me too, are you?" he asked teasingly. He had barely said hello to Cooper before his brother jumped down his throat about not being the first to know that he found Kurt.

"Naw. I know you, Blaine. I wasn't in the least bit surprised when you tweeted that you found him. Especially after you dedicated Mirrors to him," Sebastian said with a laugh. "You should've seen the uproar. It was quite amusing."

Blaine hummed as he took a sip of his water. He wasn't surprised that Sebastian had followed the night's craziness. In fact, he was certain that several celebrities he'd befriended throughout the years had watched the storm he and Kurt created. He had yet to get online since logging off the night before but he guessed his DM's were filled with questions about his beoved. "Oh, I'm sure. We only caught the end of it but I can only imagine the initial reaction."

Sebastian snorted a laugh. "You have no idea. I am surprised by all the secrecy though. What's up with that? I figured you'd be shouting it from the rooftops," he teased.

"Well," Blaine started with a sigh. "He just turned 18 yesterday, soâ"

"So he's still in high school," Sebastian concluded. "Wow. I didn't see that one coming. Although it does explain the whole knowing him as a child thing. I figured he'd at least be 21 though."

"Nope. Kurt's a senior at McKinley High in Lima of all places," Blaine said, the disdain in his voice clear as day.

Sebastian inhaled sharply. "Lima? Really? Ouch. I can't imagine Lima being too accepting," he grumbled. Sebastian still remembered the one time they went to The Lima Bean and received disgusted glares from the patrons. They weren't even dating then but Blaine's bowtie and suspenders was enough to make them judge the young Dalton boys.

"From what he's told me it's not," Blaine replied and Sebastian didn't miss the edge in his voice. "But that's not why I'm calling. I called because-"

"Because you'd like my help keeping the extra crazies at bay?" Sebastian cut in knowingly. "I figured as much. I can't tell you how many messages I got last night offering condolences," he said sarcastically. "A few even went as far as telling me that I need to go public with my love for you and demand that Eric let us be together," Blaine rolled his eyes and he was sure Sebastian had too. "I swear to God Blaine these people get crazier every day."

Blaine ran his hands through his hair and groaned. "I know, Seb. I'm sure I have my own set of disgruntled messages. But you'll help out, right? I mean, Kurt's not one to be pushed around, I can tell you that right now. But our fans can get mean. I don't know if he's quite prepared for all that yet."

"Of course I'll help," Sebastian said softly. "He's your soulmate Blaine, your one and only. You deserve to be happy and I know that if Kurt's not happy, you won't be either. Consider me the captain of S.S. Klaine," he said with a chuckle though Blaine could hear the hurt in his voice.

Blaine smiled sadly. He knew this couldn't be easy for Sebastian. "Thanks, Seb. I really appreciate it."

"No, prob. We're Dalton men. We gotta stick together, right?"

"Right," Blaine chuckled softly. "Have youâhave you talked to him?" he asked gently.

Sebastian paused for a moment before answering. "No, IâI haven't talked to him," he replied, his voice thick with emotion. He decided not to tell Blaine that he'd emailed Hunter a few weeks back but had yet to get a response. Sebastian didn't need his best friend to feel sorry for him. "But hey, it's his loss."

"Seb-"

"Don't, Blaine. Please," Sebastian interrupted, his emotions starting to get the better of him. "Look, I gotta go and you have a show to get ready for. Have Kurt send me a message on Twitter and I'll take it from there."

Blaine knew when to push and when to leave things alone, and by the crack in Sebastian's voice, he knew it was not the time to question Sebastian about his soulmate. "Alright, I will. Thanks again. I owe you."

"Don't be stupid. You don't owe me anything. You're my best friend, B. I got your back," Sebastian assured him. "I'll talk to you soon. Love you bro."

"Love you too, Seb. Bye."

Blaine ended his call with Sebastian and dropped his head on his arms. He hated how much Sebastian had been hurting in the past couple of years and with every conversation, he could tell that it was only getting worse. He hoped Sebastian wasn't drinking again. He would need to talk to Cooper and ask him to check in on Sebastian while they were on tour. With a deep sigh, he lifted his head and went to Kurt's contact info. He smiled softly at the picture he had taken the day before. His soulmate was so beautiful that it was almost unfair. Just as he decided to give Kurt a quick call, he heard the bus door open.

"Blaine," Eric called out as he walked up the steps.

"I know, Eric. I'll be right there. I'm just going to call Kurt real quick," Blaine replied.

"Blaine," Eric said more forcefully.

Blaine glanced up from his phone and froze when he saw who was standing behind Eric.

"Mom?" he breathed.

Natalie smiled cautiously and waved a little. "Hi, son."

"Oh my God!" Blaine slid out of the booth and hurried to his mother, swooping her up in his arms. "You're here! You came!" Although he'd talked to her, he hadn't seen his mother face to face in over five years. He forgot how warm her embraces were.

"I'll leave you two alone," Eric said with a small smile. "Ten minutes, Blaine."

Blaine nodded quickly as Eric walked out of the bus and looked back at his mother. "I don't believe it. I didn't think you'd make it," he said as he ushered her to the seats lined against the bus wall.

"I said I would try," Natalie spoke quietly.

"I know. I just thought you'd be too busy or that Dad would stop you," Blaine replied honestly with a small shrug.

"Your father left on business this morning. As far as he's concerned I'm at home knitting or something," she said with a smirk and Blaine gasped overdramatically.

"Mother! You lied to Dad? I'm astonished," Blaine teased good-naturedly.

Natalie held her hand up and shook her head. "I never lie. I just let him think what he wants."

Blaine smiled softly, grabbing hold of his mother's hands and squeezing. "I'm really glad you came."

"Yeah?" Natalie questioned and Blaine nodded. "I wasn't sure if you really wanted me here."

"I do," Blaine assured her but she shook her head, looking away from her youngest as tears prickled in her eyes. "Mom?"

Natalie looked up at her youngest, years of guilt bubbling underneath the surface. "I promised myself I wouldn't do this. I'm sorry. I justâI know I've missed a lot. I know I haven't always been there when I needed to be. But I want to be, Blaine. I'm not getting any younger and my babies are grown men now and I haven't even met Monica yet and I just, I'm so sorry Blaine," Natalie cried and Blaine pulled her into an embrace.

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Mom," Blaine spoke gently, his thumb gently grazing her back. "I know it wasn't you. I know that Dad was the decision maker for everything and he's a stubborn man. I know you would've done things differently had you been given the chance." Blaine pulled back from his mother and wiped away her tears. "None of that matters anymore. What matters is that you're here now. I love you, Mom. Don't ever think otherwise."

Natalie offered him a small smile. "I always thought you hated me after what we did."

"I could never hate you. I don't even hate Dad. If anything I'm grateful he refused to accept me. It made me stronger," Blaine told her. Sure, he had his moments where he wondered what if, but he knew he wouldn't change a thing. "Besides, hate is a strong emotion, one that can eat away at someone, and that's just not me. And so is guilt, so please, don't feel guilty about what happened. I forgave you both a long time ago. It's time you forgave yourself."

"When did you get to be so smart?" Natalie asked, raising her hand to Blaine's face and cupping his cheek.

Blaine smiled and shrugged. "I think the pound of Smarties I ate for my 12th birthday may have had something to do with it," he joked and she laughed lightly. "But seriously Mom, you and I, we're ok, more than. It means a lot to me that you're here."

Natalie nodded and wiped away the stray tears. "He does love you, you know, your dad. He loves you very much. He just doesn't know how to show it. He doesn't want to admit that he was wrong."

"Yeah well, I won't hold my breath on that one," Blaine muttered and Natalie smiled apologetically. "But it's ok. I have Cooper, I have you. That's all I need."

"That's not all you need," Natalie said with a slight tease. "I follow you on Twitter you know. I saw that you found Kurt."

Blaine's eyes widened, his jaw going slack. "You have a Twitter? Waitâyou know his name? How?"

"You showed us, on your 18th birthday. I remembered the name. I even searched for him a few times," Natalie admitted.

"Wow, Mom. Stalker much?" Blaine said jokingly though really, he was shocked by her confession.

"I was curious. I wanted to see who would be lucky enough to be yours," Natalie replied with an apologetic smile.

"And? What did you find?" Blaine asked curiously.

Natalie shook her head. "Not much. He wasn't in any databases when I searched for him so I figured he hadn't turned of age yet."

"No, he hadn't. Yesterday was his birthday," Blaine informed her.

"Is that why you dedicated a song to him?" She asked and Blaine blushed a little. "You always were a bit impulsive."

Blaine chuckled. "What can I say? Some things never change."

"Can I know about him?" Natalie asked hesitantly.

Before Blaine could answer her, his phone beeped with a new text message. He looked at the message and typed a quick reply. "I would love to tell you about him. But right now, I have to get to the meet and greet. Would you like to come with me or would you rather stay in our dressing room?"

"I'd like to come, if that's alright."

Blaine nodded eagerly. "Of course it is. Come on. The guys are going to flip when they see you."

Natalie had thought that Blaine was kidding when he told her that his band mates would be happy to see her. She had assumed that they would be reluctant to welcome her because the last time she'd seen them was the day her husband slammed the door in their faces. But as soon as they walked into the dressing room, the guys were at her side hugging her as if she was their own mother. Natalie had always liked Blaine's friends and she would forever be grateful that they had gone to Blaine's aide when he needed them.

During the meet and greet, she stood against the wall behind the guys as they autographed pictures and t-shirts for their fans. It amazed her how calm and charming they stayed as the fans screamed and freaked out for them, and her heart melted when one of them would hug a crying fan. They must've signed hundreds of autographs and not once did any of their smiles falter. They had all grown so much in the past six years and it broke her heart how much she had missed.

Throughout the concert, Natalie clapped along and sang quietly to herself to the songs she knew. She wouldn't admit it to her husband, but when he was away on business and she was alone in their big, empty house, she would blast The Warblers' album and dance around without a care in the world. She also watched Cooper's show religiously without him knowing, though she suspected he secretly watched as well. If there was one thing about her husband she wished she could change, it would be his stubbornness. She loved the man dearly, more than life itself. But lately, she had been wondering if her love and devotion to him was worth the cost.

Oh, oh, oh,

Make it feel like the first time

Oh, oh, oh

Make it feel like the first time

Natalie remembered the first time she truly heard Blaine sing. He had stayed home from school with a fever, but despite being sick, he belted out the words to A Whole New World, switching between singing Aladdin's part and Jasmine's. Even then she knew that he was destined for more, that his talent was rare. But she also knew that her husband would never accept his love of music so she turned the movie off, ignored his pleas to keep it on at least until the song ended, gave him his lunch and medicine and forced him to go to bed.

Come on let it set you free

Right here, right now where you're supposed to be

Oh, oh, oh

Make it feel like the first time

She remembered when they found his guitar hidden away in his closet. John had been infuriated. Cooper was already fighting with him about wanting to go into the acting business instead of accounting, so when John realized that Blaine was trying to learn to play in hopes of being a musician, he broke the guitar right in front of his son and stormed off with zero concern for their heartbroken song. A few weeks later, Natalie caught Cooper sneaking into the house with a brand new guitar for Blaine. That was the first time she decided to keep something from her husband.

Blaine

So let's toast to the good life

Nick

Good life, yeah, yeah

Blaine

Just let go and free your mind

Nick

Free your mind

Blaine

Let the beat

Nick

Let the beat

Blaine

Be your lifeline

Nick

Lifeline

Blaine

Make it feel

Nick

Make it feel

Blaine

Like the first time

Nick

First time, first time

She remembered Blaine's first word, his first steps, his first I love you. She remembered his first grade play and the light in his eyes that came only from being on stage. She had a lifetime of firsts with him and Cooper, a lifetime of happy memories mixed with the bad, and yet, she felt like she didn't know who her sons were. She felt as though that life was merely a dream that turned into a nightmare and it pained her heart to think of all the first times she'd missed with her sons. Blaine's first album, The Warblers' first show. Cooper's first movie premier, his first big break. Well no more. She was done missing out on her son's lives. She was done missing out on any more first times. She could only hope that her husband would swallow his pride before it was too late.

Finn glanced over at Kurt as he sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. They were in Finn's room watching a movie together, Kurt was on his bed and he was sitting on the floor, but Kurt wasn't paying attention to anything but his phone. The day had been filled with screaming and laughing and an overly happy Kurt singing, Blaine Anderson is my soulmate, at the top of lungs throughout the entire house. But as the day progressed and Blaine had yet to call, Kurt's mood slowly but surely deflated. It had been Kurt's idea to watch a movie, hoping that he would be able to distract himself from the deep sense of loss he felt. But now all Kurt could do was cuddle into Finn's comforter, his phone help tightly in his hand, and wait.

"Why don't you just call him, man?" Finn suggested, shrinking back when Kurt sent him a deadly glare.

Kurt sighed loudly and looked back at the TV, wondering how he'd managed to sit through the entire movie without doing exactly that. "I can't. He said he'd call me as soon as he got the chance so I'm going to wait. I went through this yesterday. The guys barely have time to breathe let alone make a call," Finn smiled apologetically and nodded. "All I can do is wait."

"I don't know if Blaine knows this, but you aren't very patient," Finn teased, earning him a small smile.

"I'm not," Kurt confirmed, glancing at his phone again and willing it to ring. "But I'm going to have to be."

Finn paused the movie and gave Kurt his full attention, folding his arms on the edge of the bed and resting his chin on them. "What's it like? Finding your soulmate, I mean. What's that feel like?"

"You were in the same soulmate class as me, Finn," Kurt smirked, leaning his head on his hand. "Didn't you pay attention?"

"Well yeah butâI still want to know how you feel," Finn half shrugged, his lower lip caught in between his teeth.

Kurt hummed a sigh, a smile slowly gracing his face. "I feel amazing. I mean, I miss the hell out of him which I knew I would butâI don't know. It's like the world finally makes sense. I feelâI feel whole, even with him not here. I feel like I could do anything in the entire world."

"Is the whole, losing yourself in the bond, part for real?" Finn asked curiously. "Cause you two seemed really chill yesterday."

Kurt grinned seductively, his cheeks turning a bright pink. "Oh, that's very real. If we seemed chill then it was a total lie cause we were dying to get our hands on each other. Again."

Finn narrowed his eyes. "Again?"

Kurt nodded. "It was a long drive from Columbus to Lima," he said innocently though his eyes sparkled with mischievousness.

"Dude," Finn turned away though his lips upturned into a smirk. "Spare me the details."

"I'll put it this way, be happy that it was Tana that came to get us last night and not you," Kurt all but purred.

"Look man, if you're going to tell me about you and Blaine then I'm going to tell you about me and Rachel," Finn warned, holding back a laugh at the look of repulsion on Kurt's face. "Cause she does this thing with her tongue-"

Kurt put his fingers in his ears. "La, la, la, la, la. I can't hear you."

Finn threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Though it's nice to know that my bro's getting some," he teased.

"Finn!" Kurt grumbled in embarrassment, grabbing the pillow and smacking Finn with it. "I know I started it but can we please move on from the conversation."

Finn laughed and nodded. Truth was, he didn't want to tell Kurt any details of his and Rachel's relationship, not that there was any to really tell. He and Rachel hadn't done more than heavy making out because she wanted to wait until they turned of age and Finn was ok with that, knowing in his heart that Rachel was meant to be his. But he enjoyed teasing Kurt and couldn't help but put the idea of Rachel doing dirty things with her tongue into his head. He'd suffered enough with Santana's unfiltered mouth throughout the years. He could get a little payback, even if what he said wasn't true.

Blaine's voice suddenly filled the room and Kurt jumped, scrambling to answer his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, beautiful," Blaine greeted and Kurt instantly melted. "I'm sorry for calling so late. It's been a hectic day."

"No, no. It's totally fine. I understand. Hold on a minute," Kurt replied as he got out of Finn's bed. "Goodnight, Finn," he said and quickly left the room before Finn could even respond.

Kurt practically ran to his room, kicking the door closed behind him before jumping on his bed. "Ok, I'm in my room now so we can talk," he breathed. "How was your day?"

Blaine settled into his bunk, Sir Devon the Knight in his arms. "It was incredible actually," he said with a sigh. "My mom came to the show."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, oh," Blaine replied with a small laugh. "I was floored that she came. She said she would try but I didn't really think she would."

Kurt laid down on his side, resting his head on the pillow and bringing Blaine's shirt up to his nose to inhale. "So it went well?"

"Very well. I think we're finally at a place where we could put the past behind us and move forward. I wish things were going as well with my dad butâ" Blaine trailed off for a moment in search of the right words. "He and I are such different people that I don't know if he'll ever come around, ya know?"

"I'm sorry things with your dad aren't going well," Kurt said gently. "But I'm glad your mom came to see you."

"Me too," Blaine smiled, closing his eyes and snuggling his face into Sir Devon the Knight. God he missed his soulmate. "As far as my dad, well, that'll happen when it happens. But I don't want to dwell on that. How was your day? Did Tana stab you in the face?" he asked teasingly.

Kurt laughed and shook his head. "No, but I'm sure she wanted to. In fact, my dad probably would've helped her after the way I woke them up this morning."

Blaine grinned. "More screaming and flailing?"

Kurt blushed. "Yes, lots more and this time it was the good kind."

Blaine chuckled softly, wishing more than anything that he could hold Kurt right now. "I'm glad to hear. I really missed you today. I got used to having you around."

"You only had me around for one day," Kurt said timidly. "You couldn't have missed me that much."

"Oh I did, trust me," Blaine assured him. "All I needed was one day and I'm already completely taken with you."

Kurt bit back a squeal, his heart hammering in chest. "I missed you too, so much."

"I can't wait to see you again. Can't you just come on tour with us? We'll hire you a on the road teacher and everything." Blaine knew that there was no way neither Eric nor Burt would be ok with that idea but he had to put it out there, just in case.

"Blaine, don't tempt me," Kurt whined with a pout. "My dad will never allow that."

Blaine pouted. "I know," he said with disappointment. "Besides, it would be unfair of me to bring you along when the guys have to leave their soulmates at home. Except Jeff and Nick but they don't count."

"HEY!" Kurt heard Jeff yell in the background. "Not cool man!"

"Stop listening to my phone call then," Blaine retorted.

"I wasn't," Jeff argued, his voice sounding closer. Kurt guessed that he was peering his head into Blaine's bunk. "I was just passing by."

"Whatever," Blaine said with an eye roll. "Go away, I'm trying to talk to Kurt."

"How rude," Jeff said with a smirk but left Blaine alone.

"Sorry about that. Jeff's nosy as hell. He loves to listen in on other people's phone calls," Blaine said with a fond laugh.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Kurt chuckled.

Kurt heard a knock on his door and his heart dropped as it opened. "Lights out, Kurt," Burt said from the doorway.

"But I'm talking to Blaine," Kurt whined and Blaine found it entirely too cute.

"I'm sorry but rules are rules," Burt said firmly. "Say goodnight and go to bed."

Kurt huffed but nodded. "Blaine, I have to go. I have school in the morning."

Blaine's heart ached but he nodded to himself in understanding. "Ok. Sleep well, love. Call me before you head off to school."

"K," Kurt said sadly. "Goodnight, Blaine."

"Night."

"Goodnight, son."

"Goodnight, Dad," Kurt grumbled as he reached for his charger to plug his phone in. Burt smiled apologetically before closing the door.

Kurt stared at the ceiling for a little while, thinking of Blaine and how desperately he wanted to be in his arms. He wiped a single tear away as the overwhelming feeling of loss hit him again. Being apart was going to be harder than he thought.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)

Awakening of the Soul

A/N: I've run out ways to thank you readers. But seriously, thank you SO much. I send each and every single one of you virtual cookies. I love you guys.

I just want to point out real quick that Blaine and The Warblers' are amongst the most popular celebs in the world in this AU. They're basically modern day Beatles. All the guys have over 50 million fans following them on Twitter and although they've only released 3 albums, they've done so much more in their 6 year career. That will be discussed as the story progresses.

This is a Kurt chapter, just an fyi. There's also a lot of online interaction in this one and it goes back and forth between tweets and DMs. Tweets are italicized and bolded. DMs are in bold.

The song featured in this chapter is Music of My Heart by NSYNC and Gloria Estefan. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

"This is Jacob Ben Israel reporting live from McKinley High," Jacob whispered conspiringly. "And we are here waiting for Cheerio Captain and top bitch, His Royal Highness Kurt Hummel, to arrive. As you can see, the halls are completely empty right now," the camera scanned down the hall before focusing back on Jacob. "My sources tell me that Hummel is so ashamed by who his soulmate is that he's going to try and sneak into school undetected. But he's not getting away from us. I'll be staking out the Queen Bee's locker until he shows up. Will he give us an interview? Will he deny the allegations that his soulmate is the fat lunch lady with the comb over? Or will he see us and run the other way? Did he even get a soulmate? Stay tuned to find out."

Kurt woke up sluggishly and already in a foul mood. He'd barely slept that night and it had been entirely his fault. He had made the mistake of scrolling through the tags on Tumblr late into the night and although most of the posts he saw were words of encouragement, there were a few that insulted him, calling him a pawn in management's game to keep Blaine away from Sebastian. There was even one blogger who went as far as saying that he knew Sebastian personally and that he was devastated by the fact that he was forced to watch his beloved with someone else.

The blogger went on and on about how terrible Eric was for Blaine's career and how Blaine wasn't the man they all thought him to be because he wouldn't stand up for his true soulmate Sebastian. Kurt ignored the posts that bitched about him but he couldn't ignore that blogger. He logged into his personal account and alongside a few of his followers defended Blaine. It was close to 5 in the morning when he finally logged off and practically threw his phone in a fury. He had argued with the blogger for hours, calling them out on their bullshit, but it made no difference. Nothing he said changed the blogger's mind and by the time he logged off, the ache in his heart for Blaine had grown tenfold. He was in for a long day.

With a grunt, he rolled out of bed and started getting ready for school. He made sure to take an extra-long shower, allowing his senses to drown in Blaine's body wash. He let his mind wander to one of the many fantasies he had, only this time, the release had been a thousand times more satisfying. Blaine may be in a different state, Pennsylvania if he remembered correctly, but the fact that Blaine was his and his alone made the fantasy so much hotter. With a relieved sigh, Kurt finished his shower feeling better but still a little on edge.

He called Blaine on his way to school, ignoring the kissy faces Finn kept sending him and instead focused on Blaine's soothing voice. They only had a few minutes to talk but it was enough to set his soul at ease for the time being.

"I'll see you later, bro," Finn said as he turned off the car. "Bye Blaine," he shouted before grabbing his backpack from the backseat and leaving Kurt in the car.

Kurt waved at Finn and rested his head back on the seat. "Do I have to go to class? It's so boring," he complained.

"I'm sorry love but yes, you have to go to class," Blaine chuckled. "But you can always text me if you miss me."

"Well then, expect a lot of texts because I already miss you," Kurt said with a pout. "I better go. I'll talk to you later."

"Have a good day in school," Blaine replied, sad that he couldn't talk to his beloved any longer.

"I'll do my best," Kurt grumbled, his eyes scanning the parking lot for any signs of Karofsky. "Bye, Blaine."

"Bye, love."

Kurt ended his call and breathed deeply before heading inside. He was exhausted and in serious need of more caffeine. He thought about going to Sue's office to grab a cup of coffee but decided to head to his locker first. A decision he regretted the instant he entered the hallway his locker was in.

"KURT!" Jacob shouted and Kurt cringed. He was not in the mood for this.

"You better get out of my face with that camera, JBI," Kurt warned, pushing past Jacob to his locker. The aggravation he felt earlier came back with a vengeance and if Jacob wasn't careful, Kurt was going to scratch his eyes out.

"Is it true that your soulmate is even more hideous than Freddy Krueger and Jason combined?" Jacob asked practically shoving the microphone in Kurt's face. Kurt ignored him and quickly switched out his books. "Is it true that you were so disgusted by who your soulmate is that you spent the entire weekend vomiting?" Kurt scoffed at that one and started walking away. Jacob however didn't take the hint and followed. "Is it true that your soulmate is the homeless guy that digs in the school trash bin for food?"

Kurt turned on his heels, the deadliest of glares directed at Jacob. Jacob took a step back but kept the microphone in Kurt's face. "You listen to me very carefully Jacob Ben Israel because I'm only going to say this once," Kurt said through gritted teeth and Jacob gulped. It was never good when Kurt used his full name. "My soulmate is my business and my business alone. If you ask me about him one more time I will dig up that manila envelope. You do remember what that envelope contains, don't you?" he asked with an evil smirk. Jacob nodded frantically. "I swear to God I will make photo copies of your dirty little secret and plaster them all over the school if you don't back the hell off. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Jacob squeaked.

"Good," Kurt said smugly before turning around and walking away.

He didn't get very far though before he was suddenly being shoved against the locker. He groaned at the unexpected pain that shot through him from the lock that dug into his side. He glanced up just as Karofsky sent him a disgusted glare and his blood boiled with rage. He was so done with being Dave Karofsky's punching bag. With his adrenaline in high gear, he followed Karofsky into the boy's locker room. He didn't notice that Jacob and his camera guy were still down the hall filming him.

"Hey!" Kurt shouted the moment he entered the locker room.

Karofsky turned to him and sneered. "The girls' locker room is next door."

"Oh, you think you're just so clever," Kurt said mockingly, stepping closer to his bully. "What the hell is your problem?"

"You mean besides the fact that you're a disgusting homo trying to peek at my junk?" Karofsky snarled, walking towards Kurt menacingly. Kurt tried to hold his ground but as the overbearing jock came closer, he inevitably stepped back until he was pressed against the lockers.

"Oh yeah, every straight guy's nightmare, that all us gays are secretly out to molest and convert you. Well guess what Ham Hock? You're not my type. I don't dig on chubby boys who sweat too much and are going to be bald by the time they're 30," Kurt spat, just barely controlling himself from flinching when Karofsky punched the locker next to him.

"Do not push me, Hummel," Karofsky warned, raising his fist to Kurt's face.

"What are you going to do? Hit me? Go ahead, I dare you," Kurt provoked. There was a new fire in Kurt's eyes as he went head to head with Karofsky, and the jock was admittedly shocked by the intensity of it. He subconsciously took a step back and that one step added fuel to Kurt's rage. "I am so sick and tired of your bullshit, David Karofsky. This is your only warning. If you don't back the fuck off I'm going to tell the entire school that you're just another homo like me," Karofsky's eyes widened in alarm but quickly shifted to anger. "And don't for a second think they won't believe me because you and I both know they will. You may be on the football team but I'm the head bitch around here, I'm the one in charge, so whether I'm hated or adored, I'm still the most popular guy in school."

Karofsky knew Kurt's words to be true. He knew that all Kurt had to do insinuate the possibility of him being gay one time and the whole school would believe it. They would immediately condemn him but unlike Kurt, he didn't have the strength or courage to handle it. One of the biggest reasons Karofsky hated Kurt so much was because no matter what the students at McKinley throw at him, he still managed to bite back and come out on top. Kurt's friends loved him and accepted him for who he was. Karofsky's friends would torment him to no end if they knew the truth about him.

Kurt though had no real intention of starting the rumor. Even if Karofsky really was gay, Kurt would never out him. He wasn't that cruel. But the look on Karofsky's face and the lack of response let him know that he had won this particular show down so he decided to go with it. He stepped closer to Karofsky with an evil grin. "I suggest you learn to keep your hands to yourself from now on. I'm not putting up with your crap anymore, Karofsky. I will not hesitate to have a chat with JBI about this."

Karofsky took a step back. "I hate you, Kurt Hummel. I hope you rot in hell," he snarled.

"I don't believe in hell but if I'm going, I'm taking you down with me," Kurt promised him. "Leave me the hell alone, Karofsky. This is your last warning."

Kurt held his stare down with Karofsky for only a moment before storming out of the locker room. The warning bell had rung but instead of going to class, he went straight to the Cheerio's bathroom, texting Santana and Quinn an S.O.S. on his way.

"Get out!" he barked at the Cheerios girls that were fixing their hair. They scrambled out of bathroom without a word.

Kurt held onto the sink, closed his eyes, and let out a breath, his body shaking from the overwhelming surge of emotion coursing through him. He was angry at Jacob for not minding his damn business, he was angry at Karofsky for constantly getting in his face, he was angry at the blogger that had the audacity to bad mouth Blaine, but most of all he was angry at himself for allowing it all to get to him. He knew that emotions became heightened once someone turned of age. The very first thing they learned in their soulmate class was that turning of age meant the wakening of the soul and that the first couple of weeks consisted of their emotions trying to settle. He'd even seen a few people throughout his years at McKinley have moments where emotions got the better of them. But he hadn't realized how strong and overwhelming it truly was until that very moment.

"What's wrong?" Santana voice suddenly rang out. Kurt looked up at her and Quinn and immediately started crying. The girls hurried to his side and pulled him into a hug. "Who the fuck do I gotta cut?" she demanded.

Kurt shook his head frantically. "Stupid JBI and fucking Karofsky and that damn blogger acting like they have a fucking clue and I just miss Blaine so much! Shit! I hate this!" he rambled angrily. "Why am I so damn emotional?!"

Santana pulled back and cupped Kurt's face as Quinn wrapped her arms around his torso from behind and rested her head on his shoulder. "Because you're an overdramatic bitch like the rest of us," Santana told him with a smirk as she wiped away his tears.

"Shut up, Satan!" Kurt snapped. "This shit sucks. Everything about today fucking sucks!"

Santana stepped back, put her hands on her hips, and huffed. "What did JBI and Karofsky do this time? And what blogger are you talking about?"

"I already took care of JBI and Karofsky," Kurt said waving his hand dismissively. "It's the same shit but different day with them. And the blogger I'm talking about is this stupid fucker on Tumblr who was talking shit about Blaine and me last night. Some dumbass who thinks that Blaine and Sebastian are soulmates but Eric won't allow them to be together. I was up until 5 in the damn morning fighting with this guy!"

Santana shrugged. "Yeah well, that's what you get for going into the tags," she said and Kurt glared at her. "Don't give me that look. You know I'm right."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I know, ok? Justâugh! I'm so frustrated and I miss Blaine!" he whined. "I miss him so damn much that it physically hurts!"

"Why don't call him?" Quinn suggested.

"Because he'd know something was wrong and I don't want to lie to him," Kurt pouted, holding back the tears. Quinn smiled sympathetically and hugged him a little tighter. "Damn this sucks. I knew I'd miss him but shit!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Kurt. Other than suck it up and deal," Santana said as the last bell rang. All three groaned. "And now we're officially late to class."

"Whatever," Kurt mumbled, reining his emotions back in and wiping away any stray tears. "All I know is that I'm in bitch mode today and if anyone even thinks of screwing with me I will not hesitate to claw their damn eyes out," he said and stormed out of the bathroom. Quinn and Santana smirked at each other and followed him out.

"Move," Kurt said gruffly to the girl sitting in the desk in the far corner of the room. The girl gave him a questioning look but got out of her desk anyway. Kurt flopped down in the seat and let out a short breath before pulling out his cell phone.

"Is there something wrong with your desk, Mr. Hummel?" his study hall teacher asked.

Kurt rolled his eyes. She barely batted an eye lash when he walked into class late yet she was concerned by where he was sitting? "Does it really matter where the hell I'm sitting?" he asked her in response. "It's not like we do anything in here except twiddle our damn thumbs while you play Candy Crush," he grumbled, slouching in his seat and going to his messages.

The teacher pursed her lips, momentarily contemplating telling Kurt to put his cell phone away. But as she glanced around the room and saw that at least half the other students had their phones out, she decided against it. It wasn't like the students listened to her anyway. With an uncaring shrug, she turned her attention back to her computer.

From Kurt Hummel:

Have I mentioned how much I miss you? Cause I really fucking miss you.

Kurt sighed wistfully as he sent the message. He would do anything to be with Blaine right now. He opened his messenger bag and pulled out his notebook. He smiled to himself when he saw the doodle of his and Blaine's name in a heart and a wave of happiness rushed through him. Blaine Anderson is his soulmate, his one and only, and nobody could take that away from him.

From Blaine Anderson:

You may have mentioned it but I have no problem hearing it again. ;)

I really miss you too.

Shouldn't you be in class?

Kurt's anger dissipated a little more at Blaine's reply.

From Kurt Hummel:

I am in class but it's just study hall. It's not like we do anything.

Today sucks btw. I wish I was there with you.

From Blaine Anderson:

When I was in school, study hall meant we actually studied. ;p

I wish you were here too. Why does today suck? Did something happen? :(

Kurt worried his lip. He didn't want to lie to Blaine but he didn't want to tell him what actually happened either.

From Kurt Hummel:

Yes well, you went to a prep school that cared about your education. I go to a public school that's too cheap to even buy toilet paper and instead asks parents to donate rolls.

Nothing happened. I just really miss you and school sucks.

From Blaine Anderson:

Are you absolutely sure we can't convince your dad to let you come on tour with us? You'd get the best tutor money could pay for AND we provide our own toilet paper.

Kurt chuckled softly. The girl whose seat he'd stolen glanced at him curiously but a glare from Kurt made her quickly turn away.

From Kurt Hummel:

I'm sure but thanks for the offer.

From Blaine Anderson:

Sigh. I had to try.

I'm sorry you're not having a good day. If I was there I would kiss all your worries away. But since I'm not, I hope this makes you feel better.

Attached to Blaine's message was a picture of him hugging Sir Devon and pouting with a small smirk. Kurt swooned at the photo. Not only did Blaine's eyes and pout match Sir Devon's, but Blaine was wearing a wife beater so his broad shoulders and muscular arms were on display. How the hell did he get so lucky to have this man as his soulmate? That was one question Kurt knew he would be asking himself for the rest of his life.

From Kurt Hummel:

Seriously Blaine? You're so damn cute I can't stand it! Can I tweet that? Please let me tweet that!

From Blaine Anderson:

Lol! By all means tweet away. ;)

You're handling the riot though because I have to get ready for the VIP meet and greet.

Kurt grinned from ear to ear as he quickly typed out his reply.

From Kurt Hummel:

I'll deal with the riot. You go get ready. Text me later when you can.

And thank you for the picture. It does make me feel better. xoxo

Kurt signed into his new twitter account for the first time since Saturday night and his eyes widened at his follower count. He had close to 10 million fans following him now and all because he was Blaine's soulmate. He thought about not tweeting the picture, concerned about the uproar he'd cause. But with one more look at the photo he decided he needed to tweet it. It was entirely too cute not to. If anything, the fans would love him for sharing such an adorable picture.

HisLuckyCharm : I'm having an excruciatingly long day missing *WarblerBlaine so he decided to text me this picture. [insert photo]

HisLuckyCharm : My question is, who's the bigger puppy? Also, how does he manage to be both adorable and sexy at the time? #foreverswooning

Kurt's mentions exploded with fans replying to him, all agreeing that Blaine was indeed the bigger puppy and that it was unfair how he's both adorable and sexy at the same time. Kurt couldn't even be upset that the fans were essentially lusting over his soulmate. Had he been just a fan and Blaine's soulmate posted the picture, he would've have acted the same way.

WarblerBlaine : *HisLuckyCharm I hope you have a good day my love. Xoxo

Kurt smiled softly at Blaine's reply, favorited it and retweeted it before answering a few fans. He knew that missing Blaine right now was nothing but a tiny bump in the long road ahead, and while his heart ached for Blaine, it also soared because at the end of the day Blaine was his. It would be tough, but together they could make it through.

The week went by and Kurt's emotions slowly but surely began to even out. He had a couple of moments where he'd grow angry and snap for no reason, and he had several moments where he'd cry to himself because he missed Blaine so much. But by Friday he was mostly able to keep his emotions in check long enough to get home and talk to Blaine for a few minutes. That was the hardest part. The Warblers' schedule was jam packed and Blaine was usually exhausted by the time he was able to have an actual conversation with Kurt. Their days were filled with five minute phone calls every chance they got, and the one time Kurt insisted on talking late into the night despite his father telling him to go to bed, Blaine practically fell asleep. Being apart proved more difficult with each passing day and it had only been a week.

The members of New Directions all begged Kurt to tell them who his soulmate was, especially Rachel who felt the need to remind Kurt all week that she would be his sister-in-law one day. But Kurt kept his mouth shut and ignored their inquiries. They would find out when the time was right and it certainly wasn't anytime soon. He did plan on telling them eventually though, before the rest of the world found out who he was. As much as they irritated him, the glee club was his family and he would need them by his side when word got out.

Kurt prepared himself for the verbal assault he would get from Karofsky they next time they saw each other, his own insults ready in his back pocket for when the time arose. But Karofsky had barely looked his way throughout the week. His tormentor stayed out of his way and Kurt was both astonished and relieved by the change. He briefly thought about what it all meant but in the end he decided not to question it. He was too preoccupied worrying about SeblaineIsTrueLove, the blogger from Tumblr. Kurt hadn't confronted him again but he kept track of what the blogger said. Blaine told him the best way to stay on top of the gossip was to be involved so Kurt decided to do just that.

Friday evening Kurt sat on his bed with his laptop and chatted with the fans on Twitter while he waited for Blaine to call. His initial worry about how the fans would treat him had dissipated quite a bit throughout the week. He was still cautious with what he said, but they were welcoming and the only hate he saw was when he searched for it. None of his new followers had been anything but sweet to him and he was really starting to enjoy their virtual affection. One user in particular, a girl who started the KlainesArmy account, was amongst the first that caught his attention.

KlainesArmy : The very best thing about *HisLuckyCharm is the fact that he's a total fanboy. For that reason alone I love him.

That was the moment Kurt decided to follow her. He had already tweeted her a couple times by then and her responses were always kind and respectful. He loved that he was able to flail with the fans about The Warblers and it seemed like the fans enjoyed it too. Blaine had told him that it was because it put Kurt on their level and it made him seem more accessible, so Kurt decided to go with it.

HisLuckyCharm : Thanks for keeping me company as I wait for *WarblerBlaine to Skype. Maybe one day we can do a livestream together and talk with you all. ;)

KlainesArmy : *HisLuckyCharm You sir, are a total tease! #stopit #nodont #pleasekeepgoing

Niff5Eva : *HisLuckyCharm Klaine Skype Date. #sodone

BlainesWife : *HisLuckyCharm OMG STOP! YOU ARE TOO DAMN CUTE! I CAN'T! Will you marry me? Please marry me! I love you so much!

Kurt laughed at the multiple replies that essentially yelled at him for being a tease but he couldn't help it. The fans were so enthusiastic that it was difficult not to mess with them.

HisLuckyCharm : *KlainesArmy You love that I'm a tease and you know it. ;p

HisLuckyCharm : *BlainesWife But you're already Blaine's wife. How can I marry you? :(

SebastianSmythe : Sorry for my absence this week. It's been a busy few days. How are my sexy followers doing today?

Kurt froze when he saw Sebastian's tweet. Blaine had told him to send Sebastian a message so they could talk about the problematic fans, but Kurt had yet to do it. And not because he didn't want to talk to Sebastian or anything. But because he was Sebastian Smythe, movie star extraordinaire. Talking with the Warbler guys was one thing. But talking with Sebastian? His soulmate's ex, the same man that made Kurt bawl like a baby as his character wept for his lost family? Yeah, that was a little daunting.

SebastianSmythe : I have some big news coming up in the next few weeks. HUGE news in fact and we all know how fond I am of big things. ;) Stay tuned.

Kurt rolled his eyes at Sebastian's tweet. Everything Sebastian tweeted had some kind of sexual connotation to it and Kurt had yet to figure out how he felt about that. He admittedly liked Sebastian as an actor. But he had no idea how he would like him as a person. Santana's unfiltered mouth was one thing. But Sebastian Smythe? That was a whole other story. With a deep breath, Kurt went into his DMs and messaged Sebastian.

HisLuckyCharm

Hi Sebastian, I'm Kurt. Blaine's soulmate. He told me you wanted me to message you so um, hi.

Kurt facepalmed as soon as he sent the message. What an idiotic way to start a conversation with a freaking movie star! Way to go Hummel.

SebastianSmythe

Why hello there Kurt. I'm so glad you finally decided to message me. I've wanted to talk to you ever since I found out you were meant to be Blaine's. Now I can tell you of all theâadventures Blaine and I went on together. I assure you they were quiteâwell, maybe I should keep those stories to myself. ;)

Kurt blanched at the reply he received. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Kurt wasn't stupid. He knew very well that Sebastian was implying something sexual and it pissed him off that Sebastian thought he would be ok with this sort of conversation. He didn't know Kurt, and Blaine was not his soulmate. Sebastian had no right to say that to him.

HisLuckyCharm

Listen here, Smythe. I don't know what Blaine has told you about me but I don't appreciate you talking about MY soulmate like that. I am well aware of your previous relations with Blaine so don't for a second think that I'm not in the loop.

SebastianSmythe

Is that so?

HisLuckyCharm

Yeah it is. I've read all the articles and I know your reputation. I'm only giving you a chance because Blaine asked me to. I don't care how famous you are. Not in the slightest. You either respect me and my relationship with Blaine or I will never give you the time of day. And you probably don't care. You're probably laughing your ass off at me right now and that's fine. Just remember that I bite.

KlainesArmy : *HisLuckyCharm I do. I really, really do.

BlainesWife : *HisLuckyCharm I'll divorce him for you I swear!

SebastianSmythe : It's official. *HisLuckyCharm is my new favorite person. Sorry *WarblerBlaine but I think I might have to steal him.

Kurt raised his brows in both surprise and confusion. What the hell Smythe?

SebastianSmythe

HAHAHA! Oh my God! That was hilarious! Thank you for that. I was in need of a good laugh. I'm sorry if I offended you but I swear I was only joking. I just wanted to see how you would react and trust me when I tell you that it was the perfect reaction. You got snark kid and I like that. Oh and for the record, I'm very happy for you and Blaine. He's been my best friend for years and he's one of the few people I truly trust. He deserves to be happy and Kurt, you are his happiness.

Kurt couldn't help but smile a little by the end of Sebastian's reply. He wasn't exactly sure what he was getting himself into and he certainly did not appreciate Sebastian's joke. But at the same time he was really curious about his soulmate's ex. Blaine wouldn't tell him Sebastian's story but he had implied that Sebastian was broken and Kurt was dying to know what happened. Maybe if he became friends with Sebastian he could find out.

HisLuckyCharm : *BlainesWife Well when you put it that way how can I resist? ;p

HisLuckyCharm : *SebastianSmythe *WarblerBlaine You aren't too bad yourself Smythe. Just remember what I said.

HisLuckyCharm

Yes well, I was offended and I did not by any means appreciate your joke. But I am sorry I snapped. I just turned 18 last weekend and my emotions are still a little haywire.

SebastianSmythe

No need to apologize Kurt. I remember turning of age. It sucked ass.

SebastianSmythe : *HisLuckyCharm *WarblerBlaine Oh I remember. Just know that I bite back. ;)

WarblerBlaine : *SebastianSmythe *HisLuckyCharm You are not allowed to steal him Seb! He's mine! And he's right love. He does bite. Please watch him.

SebastianSmythe : *WarblerBlaine *HisLuckyCharm You would know wouldn't ya Blainey boy? Remind me tell him about that time in the Dean's office.

WarblerBlaine : *SebastianSmythe *HisLuckyCharm SHH! YOU WERE SWORN TO SECRECY SMYTHE! DON'T YOU DARE TELL HIM ANYTHING!

HisLuckyCharm : *WarblerBlaine *SebastianSmythe Oh now I am all kinds of intrigued.

Kurt squealed happily when he saw that Blaine logged into Skype. A second later, Blaine was calling him. His whole body relaxed the moment Blaine came on the screen. "Hi," he breathed.

"Hey," Blaine replied with a wide grin. He was sitting in the back of the bus with his guitar and songwriting book next to him. He'd been working on a new song for Kurt all week and he wanted to sing it for him. But first, he needed to know what was going on between his beloved and best friend. "You wanna tell me why Sebastian wants to steal you away from me?" he asked teasingly.

Kurt pursed his lips, a light blush creeping up his cheeks. "I uhâwell heâok, I'm just going to send you our conversation," he replied guiltily.

Blaine raised a curious brow and nodded slowly. He could only guess what Sebastian had said to him. Very few people were able to see through Sebastian's attitude and he sincerely hoped that Kurt would be one of those people.

HisLuckyCharm : Alright it was fun but I must be off. Skype date time! *WarblerBlaine

SebastianSmythe : *HisLuckyCharm *WarblerBlaine Bow chikka wow wow. Later boys. Don't have too much fun without me. ;)

Blaine decided against commenting on Sebastian's tweet and instead focused on the screen shots Kurt sent him. Kurt watched anxiously as Blaine read over their conversation, the blush on his cheeks deepening when Blaine's jaw went slack and his eyes widened.

"I'm sorry," Kurt blurted and Blaine gave him a confused look. "I know you asked me to be nice to him and I totally had every intention of doing that but it's been such a long week and I'm having all these issues controlling my emotions right now and he messaged me that and I justâI snapped."

"Kurt-"

"I'm really, really sorry Blaine," Kurt cut him off frantically, tears prickling in his eyes. "Please don't be upset with me."

Blaine shook his head. "I'm not upset with you," he promised him softly and Kurt visibly relaxed. "If anything I'm upset with him. I asked him to go easy on you, though I'm not at all surprised that he said that. Sebastian's a special brand of human. Very few people actually get him." Kurt nodded with a small smile. "I'm sorry that he offended you. I assure you he meant no harm."

"Ok," Kurt breathed out. "I'm confused by the whole wanting to steal me comment though."

Blaine chuckled. "It's because of how you replied. Your snark, your attitude. The fact that you spoke so freely to him despite him being famous. Sebastian hates when people act nice towards him because they feel like they have to. He'd much rather have someone be mean or rude to him than have them be fake. I can tell you right now that you've earned his respect and that is not an easy thing to do."

Kurt preened a little. "I was just speaking my mind. You know me enough by now to know that I am not one to hold back."

"No, you're not, and I adore that about you," Blaine replied with an endearing smile. "I also adore the way your cheeks flush when you're embarrassed or shy. And I'm especially fond of your laugh and the way your eyes always glimmer like the stars," he said lowly with a smirk.

Kurt looked away, his bottom lip caught in between his teeth and his entire face flushed pink. "My eyes glimmer like the stars? Really Blaine?" he asked teasingly, even though his heart was hammering in his chest.

Blaine shrugged coyly. "I only speak the truth my love, and the truth is that you are by far the most gorgeous man I have ever met. The world is going to be so jealous when they see the beauty that fate has bestowed upon me."

Kurt groaned and put his face in his hands to hide the way his cheeks grew darker. "Ok now you're just doing that on purpose," he whined with a pout, looking up at Blaine through his lashes.

Blaine gulped. He would do anything to be able to kiss Kurt right then and there. He was going to have to talk to Eric. He needed to see Kurt face to face soon or he was going to lose it. "Alright, I'll stop," he chuckled. "How was your week? Anything exciting happen?"

Kurt shrugged a little. "Not really. Same old same old. Although I did have a really weird dream."

"Oh? What was it?"

Kurt hesitated for a moment. He spent a lot of time throughout the week thinking about his dream. He couldn't figure out if it was real or not and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted it to be real and the more questions he had about Blaine's life before he became famous. But he worried that it wasn't real and he knew that he'd be highly disappointed if it was only a dream.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked him when Kurt didn't respond.

"Nothing," Kurt shook his head. "I justâthe dream was about you, about us, and it kinda shook me. I can't figure out if it was real or not," he said quietly.

"You can tell me about it, love. I promise I'm not going to judge you or anything, if that's what you're worried about," Blaine spoke gently. What kind of dream could Kurt have had that he's scared to tell me?

"It's nothing like that," Kurt assured him. "I justâok, remember how I told you that my mom died from Leukemia?" Blaine nodded. "Well, in the dream, I was in the hospital sitting in the children's room waiting for my parents when an older boy came in. I must have been like 7 and the boy had to have been like 13, maybe 14. I vaguely remember that day but in the dream, the boy was you, and you had gotten beat up." Blaine's eyebrows shot up. "You had a cast on one arm and bandages on the other. And you had a really awful black eye and your lip was split open." Blaine sucked his lip in, his eyes tearing up as memories of the day suddenly flooded him. "We talked for a moment about mean people in the world and then my parents called me, so I got up to leave but then-"

"You turned around and hugged me," Blaine cut him off and Kurt's jaw dropped. "You kissed me on the cheek and you told me not to let the bad people get me. I remember."

"Youâthat was real? That actually happened?" Kurt asked just above a whisper.

Blaine nodded, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Yeah, it did. I never realized that was you. I don't believe it."

"So the first time we met was in the hospital," Kurt said in awe.

Blaine nodded and wiped a few tears away. "Yeah, I guess it was. Kurtâyou have no idea how much that day has meant to me. I got my ass kicked for going to the Sadie Hawkins dance with another boy and my dadâGod, my dad practically hated me by this point. I was so lost and just so done with everything. And then here comes this little boy, this incredibly sweet little boy who had this serenity about him and he gave me hope for the first time in a really long time. I can't believe that was you. Kurt," he breathed, reaching for the computer and stroking the screen, "the two times in my life when I needed saving, when I needed air because I was drowning, you were there. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"I've been asking myself the same thing all week," Kurt replied quietly, completely lost in Blaine's hazel eyes. "I just can't believe that it was really you."

Blaine's hand dropped from the screen, a small frown gracing his face. "I miss you so much, Kurt. I didn't think it was possible to miss someone this much. I wish so badly that I could hold you right now."

Kurt offered him a watery smile. "I miss you too, Blaine. But we can'tâwe talked about this already. We can't dwell on that right now because if we do, I'm just going to be a crying mess."

Blaine nodded and looked away. "I know, I'm sorry." Blaine looked back up after a few moments and his heart broke at the sorrow in Kurt's eyes. "I wrote a new song this week," he said with a small smile. "Do you want to hear it?"

Kurt breathed deeply and nodded. "Of course."

Blaine reached for his guitar and opened his notebook to the lyrics. "Now I'm expecting you to be completely honest with me here. If it sucks, I want to know."

Kurt scoffed and rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh please, as if you could ever write anything that isn't pure gold."

Blaine chuckled softly. "You'd be surprised with how many bad songs I've written," he said and Kurt hummed in disbelief. "But anyway, I wrote this for you so I hope you like it."

Blaine began strumming his guitar and Kurt was certain he had just melted through his bed. Blaine wrote him a song. Blaine Anderson, his soulmate, his everything, actually wrote him a song. He was never going to get over that.

You'll never know

What you've done for me

What your faith in me

Has done for my soul

And you'll never know the gift you've given me

I'll carry it with me

Through the days ahead I'll think of days before

You made me hope for something better

And made me reach for something more

You taught me to run

You taught me to fly

Helped me to free the me inside

Helped me hear the music of my heart

Helped me hear the music of my heart

You opened my eyes

You opened the door

To something I'd never known before

And your love

Is the music of my heart

For years, it was Kurt's words that made Blaine keep fighting when his life started to fall apart. A simple kiss on the cheek from a courageous little boy was what kept Blaine from giving in. And when the strength from their first meeting faded, when Blaine once again started feeling hopeless and lost, it was Kurt's encouragement, his certainty that Blaine was meant for more that gave him the courage to keep going. Kurt was always there in the back of Blaine's mind, either as his soulmate or as the little boy Blaine had held so close to his heart, and he would spend the rest of his life thanking the heavens for giving him the opportunity to love Kurt.

You were the one

Always on my side

Always standing by

Seeing me through

You were the song that always made me sing

I'm singing this for you

Everywhere I go I'll think of where I've been

And you're the one who knew me better than anyone ever will again

You taught me to run

You taught me to fly

Helped me to free the me inside

Helped me hear the music of my heart

Helped me hear the music of my heart

You opened my eyes

You opened the door

To something I'd never known before

And your love

Is the music of my heart

Kurt sat stunned as Blaine sang out the last note, the lyrics replaying in his mind. Blaine set his guitar down and looked at Kurt bashfully. "What do you think?"

"Blaine, IâI don't even know what to say," Kurt breathed. "It's beautiful."

Blaine smiled softly and took a deep breath. "Kurt, I can't tell you enough how much you mean to me. You've always been there by my side, even when I didn't realize it was you. I can't even begin to fathom what my life would've been like had I not met you that day in the hospital, or that day in the park. I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for you."

"Blaine," Kurt whispered.

"It's true," Blaine said, scooting closer to his computer as if it would allow him to be closer to Kurt. "That night after we met in the park, I made a promise to the little boy, to you, that I would never give up hope and that I would always stay true to myself. I made a promise that I would stay strong and be brave, and all because you had faith in me. I care about you so much, Kurt. I know things are tough right now but I promise we're going to get through this."

Kurt couldn't stop the tears that flowed down his cheeks. After years of listening to Blaine's music and idolizing the man that constantly gave him the courage to be himself, he couldn't believe that he was the one that gave Blaine strength. He couldn't believe that he was the one that gave Blaine hope. "I really care about you too," he said, placing his left hand on his computer screen.

Blaine placed his left hand on his screen and his heart ached. It was the closest he could get to his beloved and the distance was starting to get to him. He opened his mouth to assure Kurt once again that they would be alright, that they would make it until the next time they were able to see each other, but stopped when a knock on the door interrupted him. He looked up from the screen as the door opened and Eric walked in, a cautious look in his eyes. Blaine pulled his hand back from the screen as worry suddenly flowed through him. He knew what that look meant.

"I hate to do this but I have to go," he said regrettably. Kurt frowned but nodded. "I promise to call you back in a little while."

"I'll be waiting," Kurt replied with a sad smile. "Bye, Blaine."

"Bye, my love." Blaine signed out of Skype and looked up at Eric. "What's wrong?"

Eric took a deep breath as he walked over to Blaine. "We need to talk."

A/N: I regret to inform you that I won't be updating for a few weeks because I need to focus on ACOH as GleekMom and I are work on the final chapter. But I'll be back as soon as I can. I swear I won't leave you hanging. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Getting to Know You

A/N: Hello my lovely, beautiful readers. Once again thank you for the constant love and support. It means everything to me.

Special thanks go out to MuseInMe3 for being such a wonderful beta and to BritBoJangles for offering her advice on these chapters. I would also like to dedicate this chapter to my A Change of Heart cowriter GleekMom. Your friendship means so much to me and I'm grateful every single day for the opportunity to write alongside you.

This chapter is a bit of a transitional chapter so it's not my favorite but here it is nonetheless. I hope you like it. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Distance is one of the toughest steps to go through for newly found soulmates. The soul's desire to be whole is overwhelming and even when a bond has yet to be forged, a connection occurs between the souls. Soulmates who are forced to be apart in the early stages of their relationship have a more difficult time building the foundation for their love. Constructing the foundation through distance takes a certain amount of strength from both souls and those who are successful have a stronger bond than most. Not all souls are strong enough to withstand being apart however and those relationships can crumble under the pressure. Soulmates who make the mistake of being intimate upon meeting and then go their separate ways hardly ever repair the emotional damage. Those souls often lose themselves in the void left behind and if they aren't careful, the darkness will swallow them whole.

Excerpt from: What it means to Bond

Chapter: Bonding Stages

Blaine closed his eyes and took deep breaths. His heart was pounding and his blood boiled with pure rage. He tried counting to 10. He tried to keep himself from losing his cool. But as the videos replayed in his mind, his anger only grew tenfold. Eric hadn't wanted to tell him. He hadn't wanted to show Blaine the website he found. But he knew he had no choice and now he had to try and calm Blaine down before he did something that would bite him in the ass.

"Blaine, I know you're upset," Eric started but Blaine quickly cut him off.

"Upset? You think I'm upset?" he snapped, standing up so abruptly that he nearly knocked his laptop off its stand. "I'm not upset, I'm furious!"

"But you need to calm down," Eric implored with a gentle but firm voice.

"How can I possibly calm down when Kurt's getting bullied at school?!" Blaine yelled and pointed at his laptop. "Did you watch those videos? He's getting harassed by students and teachers! How the fuck do you expect me to calm down?" Blaine had thought Kurt was kidding about the administration not caring about his well-being. He'd hoped that the bullying wasn't as bad as he'd imagined. But after watching just a few videos on Jacob Ben Israel's website, Blaine knew that it was all much worse. "And who the hell is this kid, this Jacob Ben Israel?! Who is he and why the hell is he posting that shit online?!"

Eric ran his hands through his hair and sighed. It was never a good sign when Blaine cursed. He wasn't one to use profanities and when he did, Eric knew his anger was getting the better of him. "From what I've gathered, he's essentially McKinley's very own paparazzi. I understand that you're angry, Blaine. I would be too. But you need to calm down." Blaine sent him a hard glare but said nothing, placing his hands on his hips. "I know you, B. I know that you're already thinking of all the ways you could fix this but you can't."

"Like hell I can't," Blaine said through gritted teeth.

"You can't," Eric said again, standing up to look Blaine square in the eyes. "At least not yet. You need to be smart about this. You can't call the school because they obviously don't care and you can't just march in there and make demands or threaten this kid." Blaine looked away, unwilling to admit that those exact thoughts went through his mind. "But we do need to do something. There are over three years of footage on there and though it does seem that the bullying has decreased, the last thing we need is for the media to see any of this. It wasn't that hard finding this website and once you and Kurt are out in the open, anyone with internet access is going to be able to find it."

"Well then what are we supposed to do?" Blaine asked with slight desperation.

Eric placed a hand on Blaine's shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. "I have an idea, but I don't want to do it until after you talk to Kurt. If we do it before, I can pretty much guarantee that Kurt is going to be really pissed off at you."

Blaine scoffed and shook his head. "I can guarantee he's already going to be pissed that I went behind his back after he told me to leave this alone," he grumbled.

"And that is why you need to talk to him first. If we play our cards right, we can get the website taken down but you need to trust me."

Blaine nodded reluctantly. "Alright. What's your idea?"

As the days passed, Kurt and Blaine learned as much as they could about each other. They talked about their hobbies and favorite movies, they playfully argued over books and music, and they shared their hopes and dreams. Kurt learned that Blaine was a dork at heart who loved to read comic books and often dressed in unrecognizable costumes in order to attend different video game conventions. In turn, Blaine learned that Kurt had a deep passion for Broadway and a knack for designing clothes. Kurt also discovered that Blaine had a fear of heights which often led to short jokes from the guys and Blaine found out that Santana had been Kurt's best friend since elementary school.

During one of their late night Skype dates, a sleepy Blaine admitted that he watched the video Santana had sent him on more than one occasion which led to an embarrassed Kurt admitting the same. That particular conversation was filled with flushed faces and whispered confessions between the new couple. Confessions that included a few of Blaine's fantasies that he never fulfilled and Kurt telling Blaine about the birthday gifts he received from Santana. Blaine had all but begged Kurt to show him, unable to believe that his soulmate had a vibrator called the Ass-Berry Raspberry. But no matter how much Blaine pouted and teased him, Kurt refused to show him.

"That's fine. Don't show me. I'll just have to see it when I come visit you," Blaine had told Kurt seductively with a teasing smirk and Kurt had blushed so deeply that Blaine had to resist the urge to touch himself. He loved how Kurt was both innocent and sexy at the same time and he couldn't wait to experience and explore everything with him.

The one topic they both avoided however was McKinley High School. Kurt did his best not to talk about what happened in school, always worrying about how Blaine would react to the taunting he received. While Blaine forced himself not to ask specific questions that could hint at him knowing more than he should. Both could sense the slight tension between them but neither commented on it, chalking it up to the distance between them. They didn't want to make waves so early on in their relationship so they ignored the unease and focused on making each other smile instead.

Their first month apart was torture and they missed each other desperately. On the days they were able to talk via Skype, the ache in their hearts was easier to ignore. But most days they only had a few minutes to spare at a time, either because of the tour schedule or Cheerios practice and Glee club rehearsal, and those days were the worst. Kurt often cried himself to sleep those nights while listening to his personal recordings of Blaine, and Blaine constantly watched all the random videos Santana had text him of Kurt at school and held Sir Devon close to his heart as if it was his lifeline. They were dealing with the longing for one another as best they could, but it was hard and neither knew how much longer they could go.

Throughout that time, Kurt also became better acquainted with Sebastian. They exchanged cell phone numbers a few days after talking on Twitter and slowly but surely began building a friendship of sorts. With Sebastian on break from filming, it was easy for him to keep in direct contact with Kurt and he took advantage of it. Kurt was becoming somewhat of a younger brother to Sebastian and he enjoyed getting to know him. It was weird for Kurt at first, having Sebastian text him or call him as if they were old friends. But he had to admit that he didn't mind either. Talking with Sebastian, someone who was close to Blaine, helped ease the pain in his heart a little, even if that someone was annoyingly obnoxious most of the time.

"I seriously hate you so fucking much right now," Kurt snapped and Sebastian could only laugh. It was Wednesday evening and they had been on the phone for close to an hour already. Kurt was desperately trying to get Sebastian to tell him which movie franchise he was doing next and Sebastian refused to give him any details. "That's it. You're not invited to the wedding."

"Get real, Hummel. There's no way that Blaine is going to let that happen and you know it," Sebastian replied smugly.

Kurt groaned loudly and Sebastian chuckled. Kurt was entirely too entertaining. "Alright fine, whatever. But please, please tell me! I'm dying over here!"

"You know, legally speaking, I'm not allowed to tell you," Sebastian pointed out and Kurt scowled at the arrogance in Sebastian's tone. "You're asking me to break the law and I don't think I can do that."

"Oh come on," Kurt whined impatiently. "It's not like I'm going to tell anyone! Please just tell me!"

Sebastian sighed dramatically, a smirk on his lips. "Sorry, Kurt. No can do. You're just going to have to wait like everyone else."

"Ugh! You are a terrible person and I hate you!" Kurt declared. Sebastian snorted a laugh. "I'm hanging up now. I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Bye!" Sebastian shouted with a laugh but Kurt didn't reply. It wouldn't be the first time that Kurt hung up on him.

With an aggravated huff, Kurt sent Blaine a text.

From Kurt Hummel:

I hate Sebastian with a passion.

From Blaine Anderson:

Lol. He still won't tell you what movie he's doing, huh?

From Kurt Hummel:

No he won't and I hate him.

Are you available to talk tonight?

From Blaine Anderson:

I'm sorry love. I'll see what I can do about getting him to tell you.

Not tonight. :( But I promise we'll talk tomorrow as soon as you get home from school.

Kurt sighed sadly and wiped away a single tear.

From Kurt Hummel:

:( Alright. I miss you. Talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight.

From Blaine Anderson:

Miss you too my love. Goodnight.

Blaine stared at his phone, resisting the urge to call Kurt and instead went to Sebastian's number.

"Hey killer," Sebastian greeted way too innocently. "What's up?"

Blaine grabbed a shirt and folded it, placing it next to his luggage. "Seb, I thought you said you were going to tell Kurt?"

Sebastian laughed and Blaine shook his head. "I was but it's way more fun teasing the hell out of him. He just spent an hour yelling at me and it was so damn funny. He's quite entertaining."

Blaine nodded with a smile. "Yeah he is. Just wait until he does find out though. He's going to want to be your best friend," he teased and Sebastian snorted. "I'm serious, man. He loves that book, that whole series in fact. He's going to flip out when he finds out you're one of the leads."

"And this is why I haven't told him," Sebastian reasoned. "He needs to fangirl with the rest of them."

Blaine rolled up a pair of pants and set it aside. "When are you announcing it? I've been able to keep this from him so far but I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep my mouth shut when I see him."

"The earliest I can do it is tomorrow evening. The company is announcing the official cast list Saturday morning," Sebastian told him. "When does your flight leave?"

"At 9. I'll be at the Hummel's by the time Kurt gets home from school," Blaine answered excitedly. The Warblers had a four day break and Blaine was using his off time to visit Kurt. Wes and David were both going to California to be with their wives for a few days while Jeff and Nick stayed on the bus as it drove from Minnesota to South Dakota.

"And he doesn't know you're coming?"

"Nope. I've avoided talking to him too much this week because I didn't want to ruin the surprise." Blaine took a moment to breathe before his emotions overwhelmed him. "I'm going crazy over here, Seb. Thank God for these next few days because honestly, I don't think I would've been able to go any longer without seeing him."

Sebastian chuckled softly. "I don't doubt that," he said and Blaine immediately picked up on the pain in his voice. "I'm going to go but have a safe flight. I'll text you when I'm about to announce it. Try and record his reaction for me."

Blaine laughed lightly. "Will do."

Later that night, Sebastian sat at his desk with his bottle of high quality Bourbon and a half empty glass. He swirled around the amber liquid before taking a slow sip, his eyes focused on his computer screen. He promised himself that he wouldn't email Hunter. He swore to himself that he was done begging his soulmate for the time of day. But getting to know his best friend's soulmate made him want to try again. He hated to admit it but he was jealous. He was happy for Blaine, truly. Blaine had been there for him when everyone else had abandoned him and for that he would forever be grateful. But he also couldn't help but be envious. Blaine was happy and in love while he was miserable and alone. It sucked.

Sebastian had the reputation of being a playboy without a heart, a reputation that far too many people, his soulmate included, believed. But Sebastian wasn't like that, not exactly. Not anymore. He made the mistake of going out and hooking up with a few guys in the early years of his career and had been Hollywood's Playboy ever since. The media loved to make him out to be the bad guy and Sebastian learned to deal with it as best as he could.

Truthfully, he hadn't fooled around with anyone since the one time Blaine did him a favor more than three years ago and he had no intention of doing so ever again. The only person he ever wanted to be with was Hunter and if that meant becoming acquainted with his left hand for the rest of his life then so be it. Sebastian shuddered at the thought. Hunter wouldn't hate him for the rest of their lives, would he? Sebastian downed the rest of his drink, barely wincing at the all too familiar burn and poured himself his third glass. With a deep breath, he started yet another email to his soulmate. An email he was sure Hunter would ignore. Again.

Hunter,

I know that you hate me but we need to talk.

Sebastian shook his head and deleted it. He'd already written too many starting the same way.

My dearest Hunter,

Words cannot express how truly sorry I am for everything.

Sebastian scoffed and deleted the message. He wasn't some poet and he sure as well wasn't some hopeless romantic. That was Blaine's turf. He drummed his fingers on the keyboard before deciding on a different approach, one he'd been avoiding for years.

Hunter,

I can't do this anymore.

Day in and day out I think of all the ways I could make you forgive me. I think of all the ways I could apologize and not a single thing I come up with is good enough. And not because the ideas are bad, but because you are an arrogant snob who wouldn't appreciate the gesture. You would think me insincere and you would think that I was trying to buy your affection, which I'm not. I'm simply trying to make a connection with my soulmate, a real connection, and whether you want to admit it or not, you Hunter Nolan Clarington, ARE my soulmate.

I'm tired of being the only one that's trying. I'm tired of constantly emailing you only to have you ignore me. I know you have to be hurting as much as I am. Why are you resisting this? Resisting me? It's been four years, Hunter. Don't you think it's time we worked this out? I doubt you'll believe me, but I think of you every single day. I think of how different things would be if you gave us the chance. It pains me so much to come home to an empty loft when I should be coming home to the love my life. To you.

I'm offering you one last chance. I can't keep holding onto something that's not there. It hurts too much. We need to move forward or I need to move on. Please, Hunter, move forward with me. I can't do this without you.

I leave in six weeks for Europe and I won't be back for months, years even. I want you with me. For once in your life swallow your pride and take my offer. Please, my love, I'm begging you. Come with me.

Are you in or out?

-Sebastian-

Sebastian read and reread the email over a dozen times before finally hitting send. Now all he could do was hope and wait.

Hunter looked up from the exam he'd been grading when his school computer informed him of a new email. He didn't need to open it to know that it was from Sebastian. His soulmate, if he could even call Sebastian that, emailed every few weeks like clockwork. He sighed and removed his glasses, placing them on top of his desk. He contemplated not opening it, like he did every time Sebastian emailed him. But in the end, he needed to know what Sebastian had to say.

His heart beat erratically as he read the email over and over again. Sebastian was giving him an ultimatum? Did he actually expect Hunter to drop everything and go gallivanting in Europe with him? He was the one that needed to swallow his pride? The more Hunter read the email, the angrier he grew. Who the hell did Sebastian think he was? Just because Fate decided to stick them together didn't mean that they would actually work. Hunter learned the hard way that he and Sebastian were the worst people to be coupled. They were both too hot headed and too stubborn. Them being soulmates was nothing but a cruel joke Fate played. Hunter was certain of it.

I doubt you'll believe me, but I think of you every single day.

Hunter didn't believe him. The latest tabloid placing Sebastian and some blond at a club the other night proved otherwise. How could Sebastian possibly be thinking of me when he's off fucking whatever random guy batted their eyelashes at him?

I can't do this without you.

Hunter wanted to believe it. He truly did. But he knew it was a lie. Sebastian didn't need him. He was doing just fine without him. All Sebastian wanted Hunter for was to follow him around like some love sick puppy. As soon as Sebastian got bored with him, he'd drop him and go on to the next guy. Hunter swore to himself years ago that he would not get involved in Sebastian's game and he had no intention of breaking that promise. With his decision made, Hunter replied to the email. The moment he hit send though, he felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. What have I done?

Sebastian paced back and forth anxiously, sipping on his Bourbon and hitting the refresh button every few minutes. It was a routine he did every time he emailed Hunter. He'd wait for hours for a response and when he got none, he'd drown his sorrows in whiskey before allowing the pain in his heart to consume him. As he poured his fourth glass, he refreshed the page again and inhaled sharply when he saw that Hunter had actually replied. With a shaky hand, he opened the email.

I'm out.

"No," Sebastian muttered, shaking his head fervently. "No, no, NO!"

Sebastian threw the glass at the wall, the sound of it shattering drowned by the devastated screams. He tossed his chair and computer screen in a rage. He grabbed the bottle and threw it before falling to his knees, his body wrecked with sobs. He curled into the fetal position and cried into the late hours of the night until he was overtaken with exhaustion and passed out. When he awoke hours later, he felt no emotion, no pain. He was completely numb. He looked around the room and saw the mess but didn't care. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Not anymore.

Thursday afternoon found Kurt sitting in the back row next to Quinn as Rachel went on and on about why she deserved the solo while Santana argued with her that it was time other members were given a chance. Kurt didn't need to listen to the argument to know what was being said. It was the same argument the two had been having for years and quite frankly, Kurt could care-less. All he wanted to do was go home and talk with Blaine. He sighed longingly and glanced at Quinn, smirking at the look on her face. She was biting her lower lip and staring at Santana as if she was the most beautiful creature on the planet.

"You keep staring like that and your secret's not gonna stay secret for long," he whispered in her ear and Quinn immediately looked away. She hadn't meant to tell Kurt how she had feelings for Santana, how she longed to be with her, touch her. But Kurt was perceptive as hell and had confronted her after he caught her staring the week before. Admitting her feelings to him was the same as finally admitting them to herself and now that the flood gates had opened, she didn't know how to keep them closed.

"I can't help it," Quinn whispered back harshly. "I'm trying here, ok?"

"Maybe you should stop trying and just go for it," Kurt suggested not for the first time and Quinn sent him a cold glare. Kurt merely shrugged it off and sat back in his seat.

"-I am the most qualified singer and it would be unwise of us to-"

"Get over yourself, Berry! I am way more talented and a hell of a lot sexier than you! I'm tired of you getting all the damn solos. You're not the only star in here!"

Kurt rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone to text Blaine. But just as he went to his messages, Blaine's smiling face appeared in his screen, indicating that he was calling. Kurt quickly answered.

"Hey, hold on." Kurt said in greeting and started walking down the steps.

"Kurt, where are-"

"I'll be right back, Mr. Schue," Kurt cut him off. "I need to take this. Besides, I'm done listening to these two bitch. Tana is right and Rachel needs to get over it," he said and walked out of the room as the fighting continued. Kurt shook his head. Mr. Schue needed to get a handle on things before Santana strangled Rachel. "Hey, sorry about that. I'm still in school so I can't talk long. What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk," Blaine answered. "I figured you'd be home from Glee rehearsal already. Is everything ok?"

Kurt leaned on the wall and looked around the empty hallway. "Yeah everything's fine. Just the usual, Rachel stealing the spotlight while the rest of us plan her demise," he said and Blaine chuckled. "You'll still be able to talk when I get home though, right? We might be here for a while."

"Of course, love. My afternoon is completely free. I'm all yours," Blaine replied. There was something about the way he said that made Kurt raise a questioning brow but he decided to leave it alone. "You get back to rehearsal and I'll see you soon, ok?"

"Yeah, alright," Kurt groaned, not wanting to go back into the classroom. "I'll text you when I'm on my way home."

"Sounds good. Bye, love."

Kurt ended the call and stared at his phone for a moment. Blaine said he'd see me soon? He must mean on Skype. What else would he mean? With a long sigh, he pocketed his phone and went back inside the classroom just in time to see Santana launch herself at Rachel.

"Do you think he suspects anything?" Burt asked with a smirk once Blaine ended the call.

Blaine shook his head with an excited smile. "I don't think so. He's too busy thinking of all the ways to end Rachel's life," he joked.

Burt chuckled along and nodded. "Let me tell you, that girl is something else. You'll meet her eventually I'm sure. She's pretty intense."

"I've heard," Blaine replied with a small smile. "So, I wanted to discuss something with you before Kurt got home." Burt stood straighter as Blaine pulled out his wallet. "I don't want to overstep my boundaries and although Kurt's my soulmate, you are his father and I'd like your approval before I give him this." Burt's eyebrows shot up when Blaine handed him a Black Platinum Card with Kurt's name on it. "If you'd rather I wait to give it to him I will. But I've saved every dime I've earned since we've started because I wanted to be able to take care of all of Kurt's needs."

Burt rubbed the back of his neck, the simple plastic card feeling heavy in his fingertips. "I'll be honest here, bud. I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea of my son having access to your account, an account that requires one of these bad boys at that. But as your soulmate you have every right to give this to him."

Blaine nodded with understanding as Burt returned the card. "Like I said, if you don't feel comfortable with me giving it to him then I won't. But I know I would feel better if he had it in case of emergencies."

"Do you know how many shopping emergencies Kurt has?" Burt asked with a smirk. Blaine shrugged a little but said nothing. Burt sighed. "Look, as his father, no I don't feel comfortable with him having that card. It's a big responsibility and I'm not sure if Kurt is ready for it. However, you are his soulmate Blaine, and he is 18. I don't have much say in what Kurt does anymore. That's on you now. If you want to give it to him then by all means do it."

"But I don't want to if it's going to upset you or cause a riff between us," Blaine said with a firm yet gentle tone. "I have a lot of respect for you Burt and I don't want to do anything that's going to affect our relationship in a negative way."

Burt smiled at Blaine and patted him on the back. "Don't you worry about our relationship, son. You and I will be just fine as long as you don't hurt my boy," he spoke softly and Blaine looked away, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Give him the card if you want. My only suggestion is that you be sure to give him a limit because like I said, he likes to shop," he joked lightly.

Blaine offered him a small smile and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Burt, and not just for allowing me to give him the card, but for allowing me to stay here. I know my being here these next few days is going to make things a little hectic but I really appreciate it."

Burt scoffed playfully. "Are you kidding me? I'm the grateful one here. Kurt's been moping around like it's the end of the world. Or screaming at any given point when he remembers you're his soulmate. Trust me, you are more than welcome here. Just, ya know, be careful these next few nights. I remember what it was like when I first found Elizabeth, and then later when I found Carole. I understand thatâconnections often happen pretty quickly with new soulmates and with you and Kurt being apart for a month, I'm sure that the overwhelming urge toâconnect will be there." Blaine closed his eyes and his cheeks turned a bright red. The last thing he was expecting was a sex talk from his soulmate's father. Burt smirked in amusement. He had to admit he got a kick out of being able to make superstar Blaine Anderson uncomfortable. "But be careful. You think it's hard being away from him now? Just imagine how much harder it would be if you two bonded."

Blaine breathed out. "Don't worry about that. I can assure you that we won't," Blaine paused for a moment. He didn't want to promise Burt that he and Kurt wouldn't have any kind of relations because he was certain that they probably would and he didn't want to lie. Burt raised a quizzical brow and Blaine cleared his throat, "we won't be bonding anytime soon. It'd be completely illogical for us. He's still in school, our tour has just begun. There's no way we'd be able to handle being apart if we bonded. Besides, I want to know Kurt, truly know him, and I want him to truly know me before we take that step."

Burt gave an approving nod. "Good. That's what I wanted to hear," he teased lightly. "Now, why don't I make us some coffee and you can tell me what tour life is like?"

Blaine smiled appreciatively. "Sure."

"Seriously, Finn. You need to talk to Rachel about her ridiculous tyranny before Tana really loses it," Kurt warned as they walked up the driveway.

Finn raised a brow. "You mean she hasn't lost it yet?"

Kurt laughed. "Are you kidding me? The day Tana loses it, and I mean really loses it, no one will be able to hold her back."

Kurt unlocked the front door and walked in with Finn behind him. "Well maybe you should talk to Santana about her temper," Finn retorted. Kurt turned a glare on him and he shrunk back a little. "I'll talk to Rachel."

"Mhm," Kurt nodded with an eye roll and started making his way to his room.

"Kurt, Finn, come in here."

Kurt and Finn both stopped dead in their tracks at the tone of Burt's voice. They glanced at each other warily. It was Burt's, you're in trouble, voice.

"Everything ok, Dad?" Kurt called out as neither boy moved from their spot.

"In here. Now," Burt replied with more firmness.

Kurt turned to Finn and smacked his arm. "What did you do?" he all but growled.

Finn gaped at him. "I didn't do anything!"

Kurt scoffed and started walking to the kitchen. "You're always getting us in trouble I swear," he grumbled.

"I didn't do anything!" Finn said again and followed Kurt.

Kurt took a slow, deep breath before entering the kitchen. "What's up, Dad?" he asked cautiously, confused by the smirk on his dad's face. Burt's eyes shifted to the dining room entryway where Blaine was waiting. Kurt followed Burt's line of vision and gasped. "Blaine?"

"Hey beautiful," Blaine said, his tone low, his eyes smoldering.

"BLAINE!" Kurt shouted and ran straight into Blaine's arms. Blaine laughed jovially, embracing Kurt and spinning him around. "What are you doing here?" Kurt asked breathlessly, stepping back just far enough to look at Blaine's face but still be wrapped in his arms.

"I told you I'd see you soon," Blaine said with a cheeky grin, resting his forehead on Kurt's.

"How long will you be here?" Kurt asked, already dreading saying goodbye.

Sensing Kurt's distress, Blaine pulled his head back and looked deeply into his eyes. "I'm not leaving until late Sunday night but let's not worry about that right now. Let's just enjoy the time we have together, love."

Kurt nodded and breathed deeply. "Ok."

"So, are we not in trouble?" Finn said from the other side of the kitchen, smiling awkwardly when Blaine looked his way.

"Nope. No one's in trouble," Burt answered with a chuckle. "I just wanted to scare you a little."

Finn sighed in relief. "Thank god. I told you I didn't do anything," he said to Kurt but Kurt wasn't paying attention. He was too busy holding onto Blaine as if he'd disappear any moment.

"Come on, Finn. We're going to pick up dinner and then your mom from work," Burt said as he made his way out of the kitchen.

Finn followed after him. "Can we get pizza?"

Kurt held onto Blaine closely, snuggled his nose into the crook of Blaine's neck and inhaled deeply, letting his senses drown in Blaine's scent. His body thrummed with energy and for the first time in a month, his soul felt at ease. Blaine kept his eyes closed as his own senses immersed themselves in Kurt's embrace. His arms were wrapped around Kurt's waist in a firm yet gentle hold and his lips kissed Kurt's neck lightly. As his heart swelled with sudden emotion, he knew that the time apart was well worth the reunion.

Blaine pulled back slightly and captured Kurt's lips in a tender kiss. Kurt's fingers traveled up to Blaine's head and intertwined themselves into Blaine's curls as Blaine's hand made its way down to Kurt's ass, giving it a gentle squeeze. Kurt hummed into Blaine's mouth before pulling back and resting his forehead on Blaine's. "I missed you so much," he whispered, his voice full of emotion.

Blaine brushed his nose against Kurt's. "I really missed you too. I was going crazy without you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Blaine nodded with a small chuckle. "Just ask the guys. I haven't talked about anything else but you. David even went as far as buying ear plugs to tune me out."

Kurt blushed and laughed, leaning forward for a chaste kiss. "Do you want to head upstairs while we have the house to ourselves?" he asked shyly. Blaine raised a questioning brow. "It's not like we're going to do anything," Kurt said quickly. "I justâI want to be with you without worrying about someone barging in."

Blaine smiled softly and nodded. "That sounds perfect. Come on."

Kurt led Blaine upstairs to his room, dropping his bag by the door before closing it. "I'm going to change out of my uniform," he said as he walked over to his dresser. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right out."

Blaine nodded and slipped his shoes off before sitting at the end of Kurt's bed. "You look good in your cheerleading uniform by the way," he said with a teasing smirk as Kurt walked into his bathroom.

"I know," Kurt winked before closing the bathroom door.

Kurt leaned against the door for only a moment before quickly changing his clothes. Blaine was in his room, on his bed, and the house would be empty for at least half an hour. There was no way in hell he was going to pass up the opportunity. He changed into a pair of yoga pants and an oversized shirt that draped off his shoulder a little. One of the best things about being best friends with Santana and being on the Cheerios is that he learned the art of seduction and he had every intention of putting it to work. He fixed his hair in the mirror and took a deep breath before walking out of his bathroom.

Blaine looked up when he heard the bathroom door open and gulped, his eyes roaming down Kurt's body. Kurt said nothing as he walked to his bed, his lower lip caught in-between his teeth. He set his pillows up before taking a seat against his headboard and facing Blaine. He called Blaine over with his finger, sliding lower so he was mostly lying down and propping himself up on his elbows.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to seduce me," Blaine said lowly. Kurt shrugged his bare shoulder but didn't reply, his heart hammering in his chest as Blaine settled down in the space next to him. "I just got here, love. Shouldn't we talk before you get me in bed?" he teased, peppering kisses on Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt shook his head. "We have all weekend to talk and only one chance to be alone. I'm not passing that up."

Blaine kissed up Kurt's neck, resting his hand on Kurt's abdomen. "And here I thought you were a good boy."

"I am," Kurt replied with a smirk. Blaine looked up at him through his lashes with a raised brow. "Most of the time."

Blaine chuckled as he scooted closer and Kurt lied all the way down. "You're entirely too gorgeous for your own good," he spoke softly, his eyes sparkling with adoration.

Kurt raised his hand to Blaine's face and caressed his cheek. "I was just thinking the same about you."

Blaine leaned forward and captured Kurt's lips in a sweet kiss. Kurt sighed with contentment, one hand holding onto Blaine's face while the other wrapped around Blaine's neck. Blaine moved his hand from Kurt's abdomen down to his thigh. He squeezed and brought their bodies flush together, their growing erections brushing against each other. Things quickly escalated and before either could realize it, Kurt was on top of Blaine, their hips grinding together rhythmically. There was a part of Blaine that knew they needed to stop, that they had plenty of time to experience each other. But Kurt made his heart race like he was teenage boy discovering himself and as Kurt's tongue lapped over his skin, he had no choice but to give in.

"How much longer do we have?" Blaine asked breathlessly, both of his hands holding onto Kurt's ass and forcing their hips together harder.

Kurt moaned against Blaine's neck and sped his movements. "Don't know, don't care." Blaine flipped them over and attached his lips to Kurt's collarbone. "Fuck you feel good, so good," Kurt breathed.

Blaine continued rotating his hips but moved his lips to Kurt's ear. "I have so many things to teach you love, so many things to do to you."

"Like what?" Kurt asked. He was so close to falling over the edge but he resisted giving in, wanting, needing to feel Blaine against him for as long as possible.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hands, pinning them above his head before grinding harder. "I'd rather show you then tell you," he whispered hotly directly into Kurt's ear before firmly attaching his lips onto Kurt's neck.

Finn stood outside of Kurt's door for a moment, unsure of what to do. Burt had made it clear that he didn't want to leave Kurt and Blaine alone for too long because he knew they would lose themselves in their desire to bond, and had sent Finn to call them for dinner the instant they got home. But Finn didn't want to interrupt their time together. Kurt put on a brave face for their family and friends but Finn knew better than anyone how much Kurt truly missed Blaine. He heard Kurt crying throughout the past month and had even gone as far as bringing him a bowl of his favorite ice cream in the middle of the night in hopes that it would ease his aching heart. But he also knew that if he didn't interrupt them, Burt would without hesitation, and Finn didn't want to put his step-brother through that kind of embarrassment. With a quiet whine, Finn knocked on Kurt's door.

"Uh, Kurt," he said cautiously.

"What do you want, Finn?"

Finn smirked at the slightly higher pitch of Kurt's voice. His brother was definitely being bad and he couldn't help but find it amusing. "We're home. Your dad says to come down for dinner."

"We'll be down in a minute."

"You better hurry. I'm pretty sure Burt is looking for any excuse to come up here and I don't think he's going to be as nice as I'm being right now," Finn replied, jumping a foot back when the door opened abruptly. His eyes went wide when he saw how utterly debauched Kurt looked. "Damn, dude. We were only gone for like, 20 minutes."

"Well couldn't you have been gone for 10 more," Kurt snapped as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Finn shrugged with a smirk, glancing over at Blaine who looked just as bad if not worse. "Yeah well Burt didn't want to leave you two alone for too long and by the size of that hickey I can understand why."

Kurt gasped and his hand went to the spot Blaine had been sucking seconds before Finn knocked on the door. "I said not to leave any hickeys, Blaine!" he said frantically, whipping his head around to look at Blaine.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said guiltily though he wore a proud smirk. "I didn't mean to."

Kurt groaned and turned back to Finn who was smiling smugly. "Look just...give us a few minutes and we'll be down there, ok?"

"And what do I tell Burt when you don't come down right away?" Finn questioned.

"I don't know! Think of something!"

Finn shook his head as he turned to walk away. "You got five minutes, bro."

Approximately five minutes later, Kurt and Blaine made their way downstairs. Kurt redressed in jeans and a shirt and made sure to dab makeup on his neck to hide the mark Blaine left. Not that he minded too much. Truthfully, it was a major turn on knowing that Blaine had all but claimed him. But his father would not by any means be thrilled with the love bite, even if he understood how hard it was to resist their urges so early in their relationship, and Kurt didn't want to give him any reason to make Blaine sleep on the couch instead of his room. Especially when they had unfinished business that Kurt had every intention of finishing the moment he was sure his parents were asleep.

Much to Kurt's relief, dinner went by quickly with only a small amount of embarrassing stories from his family. They mostly asked Blaine about the tour and what living on the road was like while Kurt made sure to ignore the knowing glances from Finn. Burt could easily tell by the looks on their faces that Finn had caught Blaine and Kurt but he decided not to say anything. He reminded himself that Kurt was no longer a little boy and that Blaine wasn't just some guy, but his son's soulmate. He could only hope that they were smart enough not to make the mistake of bonding while Blaine was visiting. If they did, he would be the first to suggest that Kurt go on the road with him and he wasn't ready to say goodbye to his son yet.

Once they finished eating Kurt and Blaine helped clean the dishes, much to Carole's protest, before heading back upstairs to watch a movie. Kurt sat on his bed and leaned against the headboard while Blaine made himself comfortable against Kurt's chest. Kurt's heart swelled as he wrapped his arms around Blaine's body to cuddle.

"Do you have any homework to get done?" Blaine asked, breathing deeply as his body melted into Kurt's embrace.

Kurt shook his head. "Nothing that I can't do in study hall," he answered as he started the DVD that was already in. Blaine smiled when he saw it was one of the movie's Sebastian stared in. "I wouldn't go at all and spend the day with you if it wasn't for the fact that Sue would kill me."

"Your coach can't be that bad," Blaine chuckled.

Kurt raised a brow and scoffed. "You don't know Sue. Trust me, she's bad. Plus I have a test in Chem I can't miss."

Blaine nodded but said nothing and instead looked up to watch Kurt. How had he gone an entire month without holding him, kissing him? How had he survived being away from the most important person in his life? Sebastian and Hunter ran through his mind and he finally understood how hard it must truly be for them. Blaine wished Sebastian would talk to him and let him know what was going on but Sebastian wasn't one to open up. He drunkenly admitted to Blaine once that he felt weak when he talked about Hunter and that was why he never spoke about him. Blaine felt bad for him. He felt bad for anyone that had to deal with the loss of their beloved and he felt incredibly lucky to have his by his side. As the movie began, Blaine placed a gentle hand on Kurt's face and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"I love you," he whispered against Kurt's lips as they parted.

Kurt's breath caught in his throat and his eyes glistened with tears. "I love you, too."

Blaine smiled, brushing their noses together and kissing him once more before resting his head on Kurt's chest to watch the movie.

A/N: Next chapter will be up soon-ish. We're still working on the last chapter of A Change of Heart, which should hopefully be updated this week as well. Let me know what you thought of the update. I love you guys. :)

Stars Align

A/N: Hello my beautiful lovely readers. Once again I'd like to thank you for all the love and support. You never cease to amaze me.

This chapter is dedicated to twitter user Khemosabi. She's drawing me an awesome picture for this story and I love her dearly for it. I'll be posting the drawing on my tumblr and twitter when it's complete. If you aren't following me and you'd like to, my user name is StarGleekBelle. :)

The song featured this chapter is Heart by Heart by the amazing Demi Lovato. It's a song from the Mortal Instruments soundtrack.

I will have some information on Sebastian's movie deal at the end of the chapter for those of you who are interested.

Also, the Brittany in this is NOT Brittany S. Pierce. It's actually BritBoJangles.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being such an awesome beta.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Sebastian's Secret Unveiled?

Everyone is dying to know what Hollywood's number one playboy Sebastian Smythe is up to lately and we have the scoop. The young actor has been out of the professional spot light since he guest starred on TVs hit show White Collar as Neal Caffrey's, played by Cooper Anderson, criminal of the week. However he has been seen out with friends at different clubs and no doubt picking up gorgeous men to take home. "Bas loves to party," a close friend of Sebastian tells us. "He'll be the first one to hit the dance floor with a drink in hand and a man in his arms. Sometimes even two. It's actually kind of scary how good he is at convincing these guys into bed." But other than his worrisome social behavior, what has Sebastian been doing with his time?

Some believe that Sebastian is gearing up for a new movie deal and wouldn't that be exciting? But sources tell us that's not the case at all. Sebastian has recently teased about some big announcement and while we would love to think he was staring in a new movie, the timing is rather odd. Fellow Dalton Academy Alum, Warbler front man, and ex-boyfriend Blaine Anderson has just recently found his soulmate. A soulmate whose identity has yet to be revealed. Suspicious much? "Bas is devastated by the turn of events," an anonymous source tells us. "He loves Blaine with all of his heart and he's taking it real hard that Blaine has abandoned their friendship. I don't know how much longer he can handle the pain of losing his best friend."

Has Sebastian reached his limit? Is there more to the Blaine and Sebastian love story that we don't know about? Was Sebastian's connection to Blaine the reason he briefly stared alongside Cooper? Has Blaine really found his soulmate or is it all one big elaborate hoax? Only time will tell.

National Enquirer

Sebastian woke up late that next morning to three messages waiting for him. One was from his manager letting him know that he had the go ahead to make the movie announcement, one was from Blaine informing him that he was in Ohio and on his way to Kurt's house, and the last one was from his AA sponsor checking in on him because it had been a while since they'd spoken and he hadn't been to a meeting. He deleted the message from his manager, replied to Blaine's with a, be sure to have too much fun ;), and after much deliberation, he called his sponsor.

Sebastian spent over two hours on the phone with Megan, filling her in on everything that had happened with Hunter. She was one of the few people in his circle of friends that he truly trusted and had been avoiding her because he didn't want to be a disappointment. But he knew he needed her now more than ever. Although the pain from Hunter's absence was significantly dulled after the previous night's email, the darkness in his heart which often led to his drinking had grown tenfold and Sebastian knew he needed to do something about it before it consumed him entirely.

"Just because you're broken right now doesn't mean you're weak," Megan had told him. "You have an amazing opportunity with this movie franchise, Seb. This is everything you've worked for. Are you ready to give that up? Are you ready to stop fighting?"

He wasn't. Not by a long shot. He could hear his father's slurred voice in the back of his mind telling him that he'd never amount to anything and that his soulmate would leave him just like his mother had left. He could still smell the specific mixture of alcohol and cigarettes that wafted off the man and when he looked in the mirror, he could easily see his father's face instead of his. He had always hated how similar they were. But he refused to be weak like him.

"You're stronger than this. You're better than this. Stop worrying about Hunter. I know it hurts. I know it feels like it's the end of the world, but it's not. It's only the end if you let it be the end. It's time you focus on you and you alone, Sebastian. The rest will fall into place when it's meant to. You just have to have some faith."

He spent the rest of his afternoon pouring out every drop of alcohol in his loft before going to a meeting with Megan where he allowed himself to fall apart in her arms. They would be the last tears he ever cried for Hunter. Megan was right. This movie franchise was everything he could've ever hoped for in his career and he couldn't let the darkness surrounding him take control. He couldn't worry about his soulmate. He couldn't allow himself to become like his father, rotting away in some clinic hoping his beloved would return. He was better than that. He was stronger. He would wear his mask. He would make the announcement and pretend that everything was normal, and then he would avoid all social media and work on becoming who he wanted to be, who he needed to be. It was time he focused on himself and his career.

Kurt sniffled and wiped a few tears away as the credits rolled. He grabbed his remote control and turned off the movie before tossing it at the end of the bed. "Asshole," he muttered. "Gets me every freaking time."

Blaine glanced up at his beloved with a crooked grin. "How many times have you watched this movie?"

Kurt half shrugged. "A few times. Or more." Blaine chuckled as he sat up and stretched his body. "But don't tell Sebastian that. He's got a big enough ego as is. He doesn't need to know that I'm weeping like some baby over his stupid movie."

Blaine leaned in and pecked Kurt's cheek. "If it's so stupid then why do you keep watching it?" he asked in a conspiring whisper.

"Because it's amazing!" Kurt exclaimed, placing a hand on his heart. "It's heartwarming and passionate and so damn moving that I can't stand it! UGH! Damn Sebastian for being such a good actor!"

Blaine shook his head, unable to hold back a laugh. He understood why Sebastian teased Kurt mercilessly. Fanboy Kurt was hilarious. "He really is a phenomenal actor," he said as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Whatever," Kurt grumbled as he reached over the edge of his bed for his laptop. "Do you mind if I get on Twitter real quick? This is usually the time I talk to Brittany."

"Not at all," Blaine replied as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. "That's the girl who runs the KlainesArmy account, right?" he asked, stealthily reading the message from Sebastian.

From Sebastian Smythe:

I'm getting on twitter now to make the announcement.

From Blaine Anderson:

Perfect timing. He's logging in now too.

"Yeah that's her," Kurt confirmed. "We've been DMing a lot. She's really sweet. I just want to let her know that I won't be able to talk tonight."

Blaine nodded as he switched to his camera and turned it to Kurt just as Kurt looked his way. "Hey beautiful, say hi," he said sultrily.

"Are you recording me?" Kurt questioned with a smirk.

"Yep," Blaine grinned.

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason?" Blaine asked teasingly.

Kurt glared playfully at him but turned to his laptop without a word. Blaine adjusted himself so that when Kurt inevitably flailed, he'd have the perfect view to capture it. If Kurt reacted how Blaine thought he would then Sebastian was going to get one hell of a laugh.

"Oh look, Assbastian is online," Kurt commented with a smirk, glancing sideways at Blaine.

SebastianSmythe : It's been awhile since I've done this but here's a TBT for ya. [picture]

"Why Assbastian?" Blaine asked with a chuckle. "What did he post?"

"Because he's an asshole for not telling me what fucking movie he's doing," Kurt grumbled as he DMed KlainesArmy. "He posted a picture for throw back Thursday."

HisLuckyCharm

Hey BrittyBrat. I'm sorry but I'm not going to be able to talk tonight. Or the next few days actually. I just wanted to let you know.

KlainesArmy

Hey CutieK. That's alright. Enjoy your weekend. :)

"What picture?" Blaine asked curiously but didn't receive an answer and by the look on Kurt's face he knew exactly why. "Kurt, what's wrong?" he asked way too innocently.

It went completely unnoticed by Kurt however. His eyes were wide and his jaw went slack as he read and reread Sebastian's post.

SebastianSmythe : I guess it's time I go ahead and tell you that yours truly will be playing Ryan Veitch in the upcoming Age of Misrule series. ;) [link]

"No, fucking, way," Kurt muttered, his breathing shallow.

"Kurt?" Blaine tried again.

"HeâheâAAAAAAHHH!" Blaine cringed at the sudden scream. "FINN! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW! FINN!"

Blaine turned the camera away from Kurt and towards the door. Seconds later, Finn came running in looking alarmed and ready to beat someone's ass. "What? What is it?" he asked frantically.

"SEBASTIAN SMYTHE IS PLAYING RYAN VEITCH!" Kurt shouted.

"WHAT?!"

"He just posted it!" Kurt turned the laptop around to show Finn the website that Sebastian had posted which stated the movie and cast details. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

"Holy shit! Oh my god!" Finn scrolled through the cast names quickly. "Holy shit!"

"Oh my god!" Kurt said in response, Blaine recording him completely forgotten. "I can't. Oh my god!"

"Dude, I'm shaking," Finn said, turning to Kurt with his hands out to show him that he was indeed shaking from excitement. Finn was never big on reading anything other than his comic books. But the Age of Misrule series was the exception and it was one of the first things he and Kurt had bonded over when their parents started dating. Both screamed at the top of their lungs, Kurt scurrying off his bed to jump up and down with Finn. "This is so cool! He's perfect for that part!"

"Fuck, I know! And Windsor Ateri is playing Laura DuSantiago!"

"Oh my god!" Finn screamed. "This is going to be the best freaking movie ever! Tell me we're going to the premier! Can we dress up?!"

"Hell yeah we're going to dress up!" Kurt exclaimed. "I'll get started on the costumes pronto!" Unable to hold it back any longer, Blaine laughed from where he was sitting, finally grabbing their attention. Kurt turned to him and narrowed his eyes. "Are you still recording?"

Blaine nodded. "I sure am. Sebastian wanted to see your reaction," he smirked.

Kurt gasped and Finn's eyes widened. "Sebastian Smythe is going to see this?" Finn asked and stepped back. "Whoa."

"Fuck you, Smythe!" Kurt said angrily at Blaine's phone. "I hate you with a fucking passion!"

"UhâI gotta go," Finn stammered and hurried out of the room.

Kurt sat back on his bed and pulled his laptop towards him before turning to look at Blaine. "That's a lie. I love you, Sebastian. I love you so damn much! Oh my god! I can't!" he squealed.

Blaine laughed again and stopped recording. He went to his messages and sent Sebastian the video. Kurt skimmed through the article quickly, another excited squeal escaping his lips before getting back on Twitter.

HisLuckyCharm : *SebastianSmythe Words cannot express my level of excitement right now. You are going to make a perfect Ryan.

SebastianSmythe : *HisLuckyCharm I appreciate the vote of confidence. :)

HisLuckyCharm : *SebastianSmythe This is not a vote of confidence Mister. This is fact. You are going to be AMAZING!

SebastianSmythe : *HisLuckyCharm Of course I am. This IS me we're talking about here. ;)

Blaine read over the tweets with a smile. "You really think he'll do well?"

Kurt gaped at him. "Are you kidding me? Blaine, he's going to be spectacular. If anyone can pull off Ryan Veitch, it's Sebastian."

Blaine chuckled and snuggled up next to Kurt. "I'm glad he has your approval," he said as his phone vibrated. He pulled back slightly to read his texts.

From Sebastian Smythe:

Omg that shit was hilarious! I can't breathe! That seriously just made my day. Thanks for that Blainers.

From Blaine Anderson:

Lol yeah it was pretty funny. Glad I could be of service.

From Sebastian Smythe:

What you need to service is that pretty little dirty mouth of his. Don't you dare waste your weekend away being a cuddle whore Anderson.

Blaine glanced up at Kurt with a mischievous smirk before replying to Sebastian.

From Blaine Anderson:

Ok first of all, there is nothing wrong with cuddles. And second, trust me, I have every intention of taking full advantage of my weekend. ;)

From Sebastian Smythe:

Get it killer. ;)

Blaine shut his phone off and set it aside before draping an arm around Kurt and curling up beside him. Sebastian didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Cuddles were awesome.

"Seriously, Blaine. I'm so freaking excited right now that I can't even be mad at you for not telling me yourself," Kurt said. He shut his laptop off and pushed it aside before turning his body and snuggling against Blaine.

"It wasn't my news to tell," Blaine replied with a small shrug. "Besides, capturing your reaction was so worth it." Kurt rolled his eyes though a smirk played at his lips. "I think it's time we settled in for bed, don't you?" he asked low and seductive.

"But it's still early," Kurt responded, his heart suddenly racing in his chest.

Blaine leaned into Kurt's ear and let his breath linger. "Yes but if we go to bed now, we can cuddle with the door closed," he whispered, his lips grazing Kurt's earlobe.

Kurt shivered and nodded. "Ok, yeah. It's time for bed."

It didn't take long for them to get settled for the night. While Blaine took a quick shower, Kurt went downstairs and told his dad that they were going to sleep early. Burt wasn't fooled. He knew why they were going to bed early but he didn't lecture his son on responsibility. He didn't give Kurt a speech about being careful despite desperately wanting to. Kurt and Blaine needed to make their own decisions as soulmates and Burt knew that no matter what he told either of them, the decision was theirs alone. All he could do was hope they made the right one.

When Blaine walked out of the bathroom, Kurt just about lost the ability to think. Blaine had nothing on but a towel wrapped around his waist, a sheepish grin on his lips. His hair was still damp and droplets of water ran down his chiseled chest. Blaine watched as Kurt's eyes traveled down his body and lingered on his torso, never daring to go any lower, before finally looking up to meet Blaine's gaze. They locked eyes for only a moment before Blaine forced himself to look away.

"Sorry. I uh, I forgot my clothes in my luggage," he said, turning his body away from Kurt so he wouldn't see the instant arousal he got from the way Kurt hungrily eyed him.

"It's ok," Kurt replied, his voice an octave higher than normal. "I'm going to um, I'm going to wash up," he stammered. "I'll be right out." Blaine nodded and breathed in relief when he heard the bathroom door close. He felt like an idiot for leaving his clothes in his bag and quickly dressed before Kurt came back out. It wasn't until halfway through getting dressed that it truly clicked to him that he was about to spend the night with Kurt, their first night together. He was both thrilled and nervous by the possibilities.

Kurt held onto his chest and leaned against the bathroom door, his breathing labored and his heart beating erratically. It was truly unfair how incredibly sexy Blaine was. How was he supposed to compare to that? Sure, he was fit thanks to the Cheerios. But he was a boy next to Blaine. Blaine was a man, a strong, well defined man and Kurt wasn't sure if he would be able to keep his hands off him. With a deep breath, he walked to his sink and grabbed his toothbrush. He didn't hurry. He took his time, stalled even, just to give his mind the opportunity to wrap itself around the fact that he and Blaine were about to spend their first night together. Once he was done, he looked into the mirror and took a deep breath.

"You can do this," he told himself. "Blaine's your soulmate and he loves you. Everything's going to be fine."

With all the courage he could muster, Kurt walked out of the bathroom. He was both saddened and relieved that Blaine had his shirt back on. Blaine smiled bashfully from where he sat on Kurt's bed and it set Kurt's nerves at ease. "Hey," he spoke softly.

A shy smile spread across Kurt's lips as he walked over to his bed. "Hi," he replied sitting on his knees. "Do you have a side you prefer to sleep on or?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, I usually sleep in the middle. You?"

"Same," Kurt said with a chuckle. "I can take the right side, if you want."

"Sounds good," Blaine smiled.

They both got off the bed and pulled the sheets back before slipping underneath the blankets. They gravitated towards the middle and locked lips at once, Kurt's hands resting on Blaine's chest as Blaine's arms snaked around Kurt's lower back, bringing their bodies close together. The kiss started off slow and tender, neither in a rush for more. But as Kurt sucked on Blaine's lower lip, his hips moving on their own accord in search for friction, the sparks between them erupted. Both moaned into the kiss, their erections pressed together, Kurt fisting Blaine's shirt as his body quivered with need.

"God you feel so good," Kurt murmured against Blaine's mouth.

Blaine nodded, nibbling gently on Kurt's lip as his hand slowly traveled down Kurt's ass. "You too, so good."

"We should," Kurt started, holding back a moan as their hips gyrated, "slow down a bit. My parents are still awake."

Blaine reluctantly pulled his head back but kept their bodies close. "Let's talk for a little while," he suggested, his voice gruff and heavy with arousal. "Just until everyone's in bed. We should keep our cuffs on too, just in case."

Kurt gulped and nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Their hips continued to move together sensually, creating just enough delicious friction to drive them to the edge but neither jumped forward or backed away. Kurt could go on like this forever, feeling Blaine's body against his, slowly moving to a rhythm that made his skin prickle with fire. He opened his eyes and met Blaine's lust blown pupils, a devilish smirk gracing his face as he rolled his hips a little harder. Blaine moaned quietly, his fingers digging into Kurt's ass and Kurt did again.

"You're being mean," Blaine breathed out.

"Can't help it," Kurt replied, leaning forward to kiss Blaine. "You're so hot like this."

Blaine chuckled darkly, challenging Kurt's thrust with his own, a satisfied grin taking place when Kurt let out a breathy moan. "Just wait until we have the chance to really be together. There are so many things I want to do to you," he whispered before attaching his lips to Kurt's neck and sucking.

Nick's all sweet and dapper but I bet you anything he's a freak in bed. Santana's words suddenly replayed in Kurt's mind and he couldn't help but wonder if they applied to Blaine. Something told him that despite Blaine's sweet and gentlemanly exterior, when it came to the bedroom he was everything but. The realization that his soulmate may very well be a sexual deviant made his body yearn for so much more and he needed to know just how far Blaine was willing to go.

"How about we play a game," Kurt breathed out with a thrust of his hips. Blaine moaned against his skin, the vibrations going straight to his cock. "I tell you, in detail, one of my fantasies and then you tell me one of yours."

Blaine quirked a brow and looked up at Kurt with an amused smirk. "You sure you want to go there right now? We have plenty of time to talk about that." Sure they'd discussed a few already, but neither had gone into any detail and there had been a computer screen in front of them. Talking about them face to face, in Kurt's bed no less when they were already so close to the edge was an entirely different experience.

Kurt nodded and bit his lip, his hand trailing down Blaine's torso and stopping at the seam of Blaine's shirt. "I want to know what you like, what you want from me," he slid his hand underneath Blaine's shirt and let his fingers lightly trace Blaine's abs. "I want to know what to dream about when you're gone."

"Fuck," Blaine groaned and Kurt stilled his movements. "What?" he asked.

"I've never heard you cuss before, not like that," Kurt said in surprise. "It's really hot," he admitted with a smirk.

Blaine chuckled and brushed his lips against Kurt's, their eyes locked. "I tend to have a dirty mouth when I'm really turned on," he said and Kurt couldn't stop the small whine that escaped his lips. He was going to enjoy this.

A knock on Kurt's door made them freeze. "Uh, Kurt, Blaine? Can I come in?"

Kurt sighed with relief that it wasn't his father and pulled his upper body back just enough to appear like they were doing nothing but talking. Their hips however stayed close together, barely an inch between them.

"Sure, Finn," Kurt called out. Finn opened the door cautiously and popped his head in. "What's up?" he asked leaning on his arm.

"I just wanted to tell you that our parents are in bed," Finn said in a loud whisper. "Your dad said something about ear plugs, though I don't know if he was being serious or not, and I'm going to sleep with my headphones on. So like, you know, you two could, you know, whatever," he rambled awkwardly.

Kurt glanced at Blaine with a mischievous glint in his eyes before turning back to Finn. "Thanks. I'll remember this when you and Rachel turn of age."

Finn grinned widely. "Awesome. Night bro."

"Night," Kurt sang out as Finn closed the door. He settled back into Blaine's arms. "Now, where were we?"

"I believe you were about to tell me one of your fantasies," Blaine said, kissing down Kurt's jawline. "Or something that you like," he made his way to Kurt's ear and sucked on his earlobe, "or something you want me to do," he whispered hotly.

Kurt hummed, one hand gripping onto Blaine's collar while the other scratched Blaine's torso. "I really like it when you do that," he confessed with no hesitation. "Talking into my ear like that. It drives me fucking crazy."

"Oh yeah?" Blaine questioned with a smirk, making sure his breath lingered on Kurt's ear and neck. "You like when I talk dirty?"

Kurt nodded, his hips rotating against Blaine and allowing himself to moan with no reservation. "Mhm. So much."

"That's good to know," Blaine said as he pulled back and Kurt took a breath. "I like it when you get bitchy, it's so sexy." Blaine squeezed Kurt's ass, forcing their hips harder together. "When we're on the phone and you're bitching at Finn or Tana, all I can think about it is how badly I want you, how badly I want to claim you."

"Oh dear god," Kurt groaned, the rhythm of their hips picking up speed. "Claim me all you want baby, I'm yours." Blaine did just that, moving their bodies so that he was on top of Kurt. He slowed their movements and started sucking on Kurt's collarbone, scraping his teeth against the flawless skin and creating a hickey. "I want to tie you up," Kurt breathed. "I want to tie you up and lick every crevice of your body. I want to taste every inch of you."

Blaine thrust hard. "What else?" he asked, moving to another part of Kurt's chest to suck. "Tell me what else you want me to do," he said low and demanding.

"Blaine," Kurt whined softly. The tone in Blaine's voice nearly did him in and he knew he wasn't going to last long. "I wantâ"

"Tell me, love. Tell me what you want."

"I want you to fuck me," he whispered. Blaine slowed their movements once more, his mind reeling from Kurt's whispered confession. "Against that wall, that poster," Kurt continued. Blaine looked up at him with a questioning brow. "Not tonight, but someday. I've dreamt about it for years."

Blaine kissed Kurt passionately, his hand pulling Kurt's leg so that it wrapped around his waist. He leaned into Kurt's ear and began slow but deliberate hard thrusts. "It would be my pleasure to fuck you," he all but growled, Kurt's moans filling the air. "I'd open you up so slow, make you desperate for it. And then I'd hold you up and fuck you against that wall. I'd fuck you so hard that you wouldn't even remember how to breathe."

One more thrust was all it took for the coiling heat in Kurt's abdomen to give way, Blaine's name falling from his lips like a swear word. Blaine came moments later, moaning into Kurt's ear sending shivers down Kurt's spine. Kurt's leg dropped from Blaine's side as Blaine body slumped on top of Kurt, both breathing heavily while the world around them spun. Blaine lifted his head, his lips meeting Kurt's in a tender kiss.

"I love you," he murmured into the kiss. "I love you so much."

Kurt raised his hand to Blaine's cheek and kissed him back deeply, putting forth all his emotion. "I love you too, so much."

Time became irrelevant while they kissed, their mouths moving slowly creating a beautiful symphony between their souls. Their hearts beat as one, the foundation of their love strengthening with each passing moment. They both felt the shift inside their souls, the connection running smoother, deeper, and it made them indescribably happy. They were reluctant to part, their love and passion flowing fluidly within them. But the stickiness in-between their pressed bodies became uncomfortable and they were forced to part ways. Kurt handed Blaine a towel to clean himself with while he redressed in the bathroom. By the time Kurt was done, Blaine had also redressed and was waiting for him in bed underneath the covers. An almost shy smile spread across Kurt's lips as he slipped into bed and into Blaine's open arms. He rested his head on Blaine's chest and inhaled deeply. There weren't words in the universe to describe just how at home and at peace Kurt felt at that very moment.

"Kurt?" Blaine spoke softly and Kurt hummed. "Just so you know, before I fuck you," Kurt's face flushed hot at Blaine's words, "I'm going to make sweet, passionate love to you. That's a promise."

Kurt squeezed Blaine's body and sighed. "I look forward to it."

Santana was livid. It was third period already, neither she nor Quinn had seen Kurt yet and he hadn't replied to either of their texts. That only meant one thing. He was avoiding them, though Santana had no idea why. She tried to remember if she did anything the day before that would've pissed Kurt off but came up empty handed. Quinn tried talking to Finn but he had made a quick exit and ran into Rachel's arms before Quinn could question him. Something was up and they were going to get to the bottom of it.

"Are you sure you didn't do something to piss him off?" Quinn asked for the third time.

Santana sent her a glare and looked around the corner to see if Kurt was coming yet. They were standing on the opposite side of the wall of his classroom and neither cared if they were late to their own class. They were going to figure out why Kurt was hiding whether he wanted them to or not.

"I didn't do shit, I swear," Santana replied. Quinn gave her an unconvinced look but Santana ignored her. The warning bell rang and Santana peaked around the corner again and waited until she saw Kurt hurrying down the hall before quickly backing away. "Asshole," she muttered to Quinn. She held her hand up, counting to three before both girls jumped around the corner.

Kurt jumped back, his whole face and neck tinting pink when he saw it was the girls. "Hey," he greeted way too enthusiastically. "What's up?

"Oh no, don't give us that shit, Hummel," Santana snapped, waving her finger in front of Kurt's face. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Um, uh."

"Um, uh," Santana mocked and stepped forward. Her eyes raked his body quickly for any signs of stiffness. It wouldn't be the first time he avoided her because Karofsky had pushed him around. He was always too proud to admit something was wrong. Her eyes landed on his neck and she gasped when she noticed the makeup. "Oh my god, you whore!" she nearly shouted before grabbing his arm and dragging him to the nearest bathroom, Quinn chasing after them. Kurt groaned. He was busted.

"Lock the door, Q," Santana demanded and reached for Kurt's Cheerio top.

"Tana," Kurt whined as he tried to get out of her grasp.

"Take it off or I'll rip it off you myself, te lo juro," Santana warned.

"Alright, alright," Kurt conceded, finally breaking free from Santana's grasp, knowing he had no choice but to show them. "Honestly I'm surprised you waited until third period," he mumbled as he set his messenger bag down. He sighed and took off his uniform top followed by his undershirt. Santana's and Quinn's jaws dropped. "So, Blaine's in town," he shrugged innocently.

"And what? He's a fucking vampire now?" Santana asked and Kurt blushed deeply. He had covered the hickeys Blaine left on his neck but left the ones on his chest alone. He hadn't even realized he had so many until they woke up that morning but he didn't mind. The only reason he avoided his girls was because Santana had a knack for knowing when someone covered hickeys up with makeup and he knew they would be dying for every detail.

"Seriously, Kurt. What the hell did he do to you?" Quinn asked with a proud smirk.

"I uh, may have told him to claim me," Kurt said with a nervous chuckle.

Santana whistled. "Damn boy." She looked at Kurt's neck and outlined the makeup that covered the other hickeys with her finger. "He got you good." Kurt shrugged again, worrying his lip between his teeth. "Did you two fuck?"

"What? No!" Kurt answered quickly. "I swear, we didn't. I mean, we fooled around."

"Obviously," Quinn drawled.

"But we didn't have sex," Kurt continued as he slipped his shirt back on. "He did tell me he loved me though," he grinned and Santana squealed with delight. "And the best partâ"

"Yes," Santana pushed for more.

Kurt smiled softly. "The best part was waking up to him this morning." Santana gagged and Quinn cooed. "There is no better feeling than waking up in that man's arms."

Santana scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Enough with the mushy crap, Hummel. I want the juicy stuff."

"Yeah well, you ain't getting it," Kurt replied as he put his uniform back on.

"And why the hell not?"

"Because I have an exam to take which I am officially late for thanks to you," Kurt quipped, unlocking the bathroom door.

"It's not like you aren't going to ace that shit and you know it," Quinn retorted.

Kurt grabbed his messenger bag and waved dismissively. "Totally irrelevant," he said and walked out with his girls.

Blaine spent his day alone at the Hudmel home doing absolutely nothing and he loved every second of it. Being on tour meant very little down time and the spare time they did have was usually spent sleeping. Even before the tour started, the guys were busy with other aspects of their lives. Wes was taking classes every chance he got, slowly but surely fulfilling his goal to become an Organic Medicinal Chemist. David was constantly in the music studio creating beats for songs that would never be sung by them, but hopefully by some other artists later on. Becoming a music producer was his plan once The Warblers eventually went their separate ways. Jeff and Nick opened their dance studio and although that was mainly Jeff's dream come true, Nick stood proudly by his side and helped with the business end while taking a few online courses.

And Blaine, well Blaine would always be in the limelight. He would always perform and sing for as long as the fans would have him, be it with the guys or as a solo artist. When that day came to an end, he would spend his time making sure Kurt's dreams were coming true. Or he would be a stay-at-home Dad while Kurt inevitably took over the world with his fashion designs. That thought alone made Blaine giddy with anticipation because one day in their future, they would be parents and he loved the idea of a little Kurt running around. Not that he and Kurt had discussed kids yet but he liked to dream.

It was a rare gift for Blaine to have nothing to do and since he couldn't leave the Hudmel home, he took advantage of the quiet. After waking up to the beauty that is Kurt and eating breakfast with his new family, he went up to Kurt's room and laid in bed watching TV for a couple of hours. He then called his brother and talked to him for a little while before calling his mother and doing the same. He tried calling Sebastian but received no answer. He shrugged it off and called Eric instead, assuring him that he was fine and that he would talk to Kurt soon. He surfed the internet for a little while and then ate lunch with Burt who stopped by to check in on him.

By the time Burt left, Blaine only had a couple of hours left before Kurt got home from school, assuming Glee club rehearsals didn't go over. He decided to take the time to look at Kurt's room thoroughly. He didn't go into Kurt's drawers or anything, but he spent a fair amount of time at Kurt's bookshelf, reading all the titles and paying special attention to the books that looked more worn out than the others. He took note that Kurt had an extensive brooch collection and made a mental note to do some online shopping later. From the bookshelf he went over to Kurt's board which was mostly filled with pictures of his friends and The Warblers, some notes for school, and few quotes and lyrics. One specific quote drew Blaine's attention though and he couldn't help but smile proudly that it had made it to Kurt's board. He still remembered the interview like it was yesterday. It was the first one that truly set The Warblers apart from the rest.

"You've created a bit of controversy these past few weeks. Not very many people are used to your level of honesty and some are even saying that it's all an elaborate PR stunt. How do you feel about that?" the interviewer asked.

The Warblers glanced at each other for a moment and it was Nick who responded. "It is what it is," he said with a shrug. "We aren't ashamed of who we are. Jeff and I aren't going to hide our love for each other, no matter who agrees or who doesn't. If there was ever something Dalton Academy taught us it's to be proud and never to let someone else dictate how we live our lives. We don't regret coming out to the world as soulmates, not even for a second."

"It was definitely a bold statement. Despite having significant proof that soulmates can be of the same sex, it's still a hard pill to swallow for those conservatives who believe that soulmates are only meant to be a male and a female. Do you think this will harm you in the end, career wise?"

"We don't," Blaine answered. "We know that there are a million other artists out there trying to do what we do and we want to be one of the few that are around for a long time. We feel like the only way to do that is by being honest about who we are and what we believe in. People will see through an act, they will see through the phoniness, and we believe that genuine sincerity is key to our success. We aren't in this to make money or become famous. We're in this because we love to perform and we want to inspire others to be true to themselves. The only way to do that is by us being true to ourselves."

Blaine ran his fingers over the paper that held his words, a small smile on his lips. Six years later and he still held firm to his beliefs; he still felt that being true to who he is was the key to his success. And he knew it wasn't just Dalton. He knew a big reason why he held the notion so close to his heart was because of the promises he made Kurt. With the sudden need to once again thank Kurt for being his inspiration, his hope, Blaine walked over to his luggage and pulled out his writing notebook.

"Alright, next week I want you all to step out of your comfort zone," Mr. Schue informed them. "Pick a song that you wouldn't normally sing, one that no one would expect from you, and own it. We won Sectionals by pure luck. If we don't step it up then we are not going to win Regionals." Rachel raised her hand to speak but Mr. Schue cut her off. "We are not discussing solos again, Rachel. I don't want you, or any of you to focus on being the star. Focus on reminding everyone why we're all here. I have faith in you guys. It's time you had faith in yourselves. You're all dismissed."

"Finally," Kurt muttered as he gathered his things. He started making his way towards the door but was stopped by Santana and Quinn. "I already said no," he deadpanned.

"Come on, Kurt. Please," Quinn pleaded quietly. "Tana already got to meet him. Why can't I?"

Kurt sighed, glancing around the room quickly to make sure no one was listening. "It's not that I don't want you to meet him, Q. I just want to be able to have as much time with him as possible before he leaves and that won't happen if you come over to hang out."

"Just five minutes and we'll be gone, I promise." Quinn put her hands together and pouted, Santana standing off to the side filing her nails and pretending she didn't care. Or the fact that Quinn's pout did things to her it shouldn't. "Pretty, pretty please?"

"Alright, fine," Kurt conceded and turned around with an eye roll. "Five minutes and then I'm kicking you out."

"Yes!" Quinn said excitedly as she and Santana followed Kurt out. None of them noticed Rachel watching them from the other side of the room with a keen eye.

Kurt hurried up the stairs with Santana and Quinn on his heels. All he wanted to do was fall back into Blaine's arms and he was annoyed that it would have to wait because of his friends.

"What if he's waiting for you naked?" Santana asked with a purr at the top of the stairs.

"In your dreams, Satan," Kurt snapped.

"More like in your dreams," Santana quipped.

Kurt glanced behind him with a devilish grin. "More like my reality," he retorted just as he reached the door. He knocked twice before opening it, smiling broadly when he saw Blaine sitting on his bed next to his guitar. "Hi."

Blaine stood up from the bed and greeted Kurt with an embrace and a kiss on the lips. "Hi. How was school?"

Kurt shrugged a little. "It was school."

"So what, are you just going to ignore us?" Santana complained from the doorway, a star struck Quinn standing behind her.

Kurt rolled his eyes and turned around to them. "I was trying to but your bitching is too loud."

Santana ignored him and walked into the room. "So Blainey Boy, seen any good vampire movies lately?" she asked with a seductive grin.

"Oh god," Kurt groaned into his hands.

Blaine glanced at the two with an amused expression before turning towards Quinn who was still standing in the doorway gaping at him. "Hi, you must be Quinn," he greeted with a charming smile. Quinn nodded slowly and Santana rolled her eyes. "It's great to finally meet you."

"Yeah, totally," Quinn replied breathlessly with a shy smile.

"Jeez Q, be more obvious that you just wet your panties," Santana drawled, taking a seat at Kurt's vanity, ignoring the embarrassed glare Quinn sent her. And the wave of guilt she felt. "What's with the guitar? You gonna sing us a song, Blaine?"

"No," Kurt answered for him. "You two are leaving, remember?"

"Actually, they can stay for a few more minutes if they want," Blaine said, finding the abashed look on Kurt's face ridiculously adorable. Blaine pouted a little and pulled Kurt into his arms. "I wrote a new song today, for you, and I wanted their opinion since yours is so biased," he teased.

Kurt melted into Blaine's embrace and nodded. "Alright fine. One song and then they are going home. I want you all to myself."

Blaine pecked Kurt's lips gently. "You have me all to yourself. Always."

Santana looked over at Quinn and nodded her over, patting her thighs. Quinn huffed in annoyance but walked over to Santana nonetheless and took a seat on her lap with her arms crossed. Both ignored how their bodies reacted to the contact.

"Why do you always have to be such a bitch?" Quinn muttered under her breath.

Santana shrugged, hating the way her heart hurt from hearing Quinn call her that. "Can you two hurry up so we can go?" she snapped at Blaine and Kurt who were still wrapped in each other's arms.

"Sorry," Blaine said with a bashful smile and walked Kurt over to the bed. Blaine sat against the headboard while Kurt sat at the end. "Now like I said, I just wrote this today so it's a little rough."

Kurt scoffed at him. "Rough or not, it's going to be brilliant and you know it."

Blaine sent him a wink and grabbed his guitar. He opened his notebook and strummed a few chords before locking eyes with Kurt.

When your soul finds the soul it was waiting for

When someone walks into your heart through an open door

When your hand finds the hand it was meant to hold

Don't let go

Someone comes into your world

Suddenly your world has changed forever

No there's no one else's eyes

That could see into me

No one else's arms can lift, lift me up so high

Your love lifts me out of time

And you know my heart by heart

"Fucking A," Santana whispered behind Quinn and Quinn nodded. Blaine's eyes never left Kurt's as he sang with a passion that couldn't be imitated and it was positively breathtaking to watch.

When you're one with the one you were meant to be find

Everything falls in place, all the stars align

When you're touched by the cloud that has touched your soul

Don't let go

Someone comes into your life

It's like they've been in your life forever

No there's no one else's eyes

That could see into me

No one else's arms can lift, lift me up so high

Your love lifts me out of time

And you know my heart by heart

"I feel like we're intruding," Quinn whispered behind her, catching Santana's gaze. Quinn gulped, willing her racing heart to slow down.

So now we've found our way to find each other

So now I found my way, to you

No there's no one else's eyes

That could see into me

Santana's eyes flicked down to Quinn's lips for only a second but Quinn caught the action and it made her stop breathing. She licked her lips, yearning for Santana to kiss her, really kiss her, just once.

No there's no one else's eyes

That could see into me

No one else's arms can lift, lift me up so high

Your love lifts me out of time

And you know my heart by heart

Santana started to lean in, her hand resting on Quinn's thigh. Quinn's eyes fluttered shut, the world around her disappearing except for Santana.

And you know my heart by heart

And you know my heart by heart

And you know my heart by heart

Kurt clapped happily and broke the spell surrounding the girls, Quinn practically jumping off Santana's lap like she'd just been burned. "That was amazing, Blaine," Kurt gushed, completely oblivious to what nearly happened behind him. Blaine caught it though and it made him wonder if the girls knew just how much electricity they were creating.

"Yeah, Blaine," Quinn said, clearing her throat. "That was incredible. And you wrote that today?"

Blaine smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah. Kurt's been one hell of an inspiration," he said, reaching for Kurt's cheek to caress, setting his guitar down next to him.

"Yes well, I'm sure all that making out has been very inspirational," Santana quipped, standing up and straightening her skirt. "We'll leave you two to vomit up rainbows. You ready to go?" she asked Quinn, acting as if she hadn't almost given into her crazy desire to make Quinn scream her name. Maybe it was time to talk to Jeff and finally tell him what was going on with her before she did something she'd regret later, like inviting Quinn for a sleepover and having her way with her. Yeah, no. That is so not going to happen.

"Yeah, we can go," Quinn replied, avoiding eye contact with Santana. "It was really nice to meet you Blaine. Maybe next time Kurt will share you."

"Never gonna happen," Kurt shook his head, still staring lovingly at Blaine. He waved behind him. "Bye girls."

"Later, Hummel," Santana said, grabbing Quinn by the arm and walking out with her.

The moment Kurt heard his bedroom door close, he crawled over to Blaine and settled in-between his legs. "You are," he kissed Blaine's jaw, "the most amazing," he kissed Blaine's cheek, "most incredible," he purred, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck, "man on this entire planet." He pressed his lips to Blaine and kissed him with fervor. Blaine didn't hesitate to respond, grabbing Kurt by the hips and lifting him slightly so that Kurt was straddling him.

Rachel waited in her car a few houses away from the Hudmel home until Santana and Quinn left. As soon as Quinn's car drove away, she exited her car and hurried down the sidewalk. She wasn't stupid. She knew what was going on and she was hurt that Kurt hadn't told her. She didn't even bother asking Finn. She knew that he wouldn't tell her the truth even if she begged. She walked up the driveway and knocked on the front door frantically.

Finn opened the door for her and his jaw dropped. "Rach? What are you doing here?" he asked nervously.

Rachel didn't answer. Instead she pushed past Finn and made her way up to Kurt's room.

"RACHEL! WAIT!"

A/N: Quick info on Sebastian's movie deal. The Age of Misrule series is written by one of my favorite authors ever, Mark Chadbourn, and nothing would please me more than to see it turned into a movie. But since that will probably never happen I made it into one here. It's a three book series about magic returning to the world. It's modern day Sci-Fi and it's truly brilliant. Sebastian's character is one of the five heroes and his character is very rough around the edges, which I feel fits Sebastian perfectly. If you've never read these books I highly recommend them. Seriously, they are amazing.

Love you all. :)

As It Begins To Unravel

A/N: Hello my beautiful darlings. I can't thank you all enough. Really, I just love you all so damn much and every review and alert makes my heart go super-duper whee! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This is not my favorite chapter. Rachel was being rather difficult and I went through several changes before finally settling on this. I'm still unsure on it but I hope the end result is ok.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being the best freaking beta EVER!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It is not unusual for someone to mistake who they are meant to be with. As children grow into teenagers, they create in their minds who they believe would be their perfect match and when they find that person, they cling onto them and convince themselves that's who was meant for them. That is not how Fate works however. More often than not, a person's soulmate is someone who they never expected. It's not someone who agrees with every opinion but rather someone who challenges them. Heartbreak is incredibly common in young lovers and parents are advised to watch their child closely when they reach their teenage years. Turning of age is an extraordinary step in an adolescent's life and if heartbreak occurs beforehand, the young teen could easily slip into a hole of depression that if not taken care of properly, could do great damage to the psyche.

Excerpt from: What it means to Bond

Chapter: Turning of age

As It Begins To Unravel

A/N: Hello my beautiful darlings. I can't thank you all enough. Really, I just love you all so damn much and every review and alert makes my heart go super-duper whee! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This is not my favorite chapter. Rachel was being rather difficult and I went through several changes before finally settling on this. I'm still unsure on it but I hope the end result is ok.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being the best freaking beta EVER!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

It is not unusual for someone to mistake who they are meant to be with. As children grow into teenagers, they create in their minds who they believe would be their perfect match and when they find that person, they cling onto them and convince themselves that's who was meant for them. That is not how Fate works however. More often than not, a person's soulmate is someone who they never expected. It's not someone who agrees with every opinion but rather someone who challenges them. Heartbreak is incredibly common in young lovers and parents are advised to watch their child closely when they reach their teenage years. Turning of age is an extraordinary step in an adolescent's life and if heartbreak occurs beforehand, the young teen could easily slip into a hole of depression that if not taken care of properly, could do great damage to the psyche.

Excerpt from: What it means to Bond

Chapter: Turning of age

"RACHEL! WAIT!"

Kurt pulled back from Blaine abruptly. Blaine chased after his lips but stopped when he noticed the alarmed look on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. Kurt shushed him, placing a finger on Blaine's lips and focusing on the sounds in the hallway. It was silent for a few seconds and he thought that maybe he'd imagined it. Untilâ

"RACHEL!"

"Shit!" Kurt scrambled off Blaine and grabbed his arm. "Get up! Go!" Blaine hurried off Kurt's bed and fell with a thump. He quickly got to his feet and ran to hide in Kurt's bathroom as Kurt shoved him. What the hell is she doing here?! Kurt thought frantic. She is not supposed to be here!

"Rachel, wait!" Finn said harshly as he chased after her. She may be short but she was quick on her feet and he prayed that he had screamed her name loud enough for Kurt to hear. He loved his girlfriend but damn could she be intrusive.

"I need to speak with Kurt. It's very important," Rachel replied just as she reached Kurt's door. She knocked urgently. "Kurt, I need to speak with you," she said loud and demanding before knocking again. "Kurt!"

Kurt opened the door just enough to poke his head out. "Rach? Hey!" he greeted way too eagerly. "I didn't know you were coming over," he said with a glance at Finn which clearly stated that he was a dead man if he had anything to do with it, though by the fearful look in his eyes Kurt knew that he hadn't. "What's up?" Rachel pushed past him and entered his room. "Well come the fuck right in why don't you," he snapped, all pleasantries forgotten.

Rachel did a quick survey of the room, noticing the bed sheets were ruffled and the expensive luggage next to Kurt's closet. She held back a smug grin and turned to look at Kurt. "We need to discuss Regionals," she said all business like, her arms crossed. "You are the only person in Glee that knows that I am the most talented member," Kurt raised a slow brow and Finn scowled from the doorway. "And you know that there is no way we are going to win if I don't sing the solo."

"Actually, that's where you're wrong," Kurt said as he walked past her and stood in-between her and his bathroom. Rachel turned to look at him and huffed. "Mercedes is a powerhouse and she would bring the damn roof down with her solo, Quinn's flawless alto would melt every heart in the audience, I can hit every note from A to Z just as well as you, and Tana's a star whether you want to accept it or not. Your solo is not a necessity for us to win, Rachel. You seriously need to get over yourself because you are not the most talented member."

Rachel bristled. "That is a matter of opinion."

"No, that is fact and you need to learn to accept it before you make everyone hate you more than we already do," Kurt snapped angrily. "Look, we love you Rach, but you need a serious attitude check."

"I need an attitude check?!" Rachel screeched. "Santana's the one who's always being a bitch to everyone! She's the one who's always fighting me and disrespecting me! If she would just accept that I'm better than her then we wouldn't be in this mess! It's not like she's going to do anything with her life anyway, other than dance on a pole!"

Kurt took a step forward and towered over Rachel who kept her ground. Finn stood still at the doorway and prayed that blood wasn't about to be shed. If there was one thing he knew about his brother it was to never insult Santana. "I'm going to speak very slowly so you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth." Shit, Finn thought, this is so not good. "You are not better than Santana. She does not need to respect you when you never respect her. And you bet your ass she's a bitch, she's the bitch, and if you ever insult her in front of me again I will not hesitate to grab you by the hair and drag you around like a ragdoll. In fact, I suggest that you get the hell out of my room before I do just that. Do not test me Rachel Berry."

Rachel decided she was done playing games and allowed a smug knowing smirk to grace her face. She wasn't there to discuss Regionals anyway. She only brought it up to anger him. She knew that Kurt would never agree with her on the fact that she was clearly the most talented and yeah, maybe her comment about Santana was going a tad too far. But she needed Kurt on edge. She knew that when he was angry he tended to say things he didn't mean and she needed him to admit that Blaine Anderson was his soulmate in his rant of anger. And not because she needed any proof, but because she wanted to hear him say it. "You know, Kurt, I've noticed you've been acting a little different lately," she said, taking slow deliberate steps towards Kurt's bathroom.

Kurt quickly side stepped and blocked her way. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked in annoyance, his heartbeat racing.

"I'm talking about the fact that you haven't mentioned Blaine or The Warblers since you went to their concert last month," Rachel started and Kurt visibly paled. "Or the fact that Blaine found his soulmate the same day as your birthday. I was certain you would talk nonstop about that but nope, not a single word."

"Yeahâand?" Kurt said nervously.

"And, you're also texting a lot, so much more than you used to and I know it's no one from Glee club because you're the only one doing it," Rachel continued. Kurt glanced behind her at a gaping Finn who was watching everything unfold. "You blush and giggle when you text, you're being way more secretive than normal, and you've stopped tweeting since the night of the concert. You changed your location and your bio, coincidentally enough, to the same exact thing Blaine's soulmate, HisLuckyCharm's bio, except that you changed it first." Rachel stepped closer to a silent Kurt with a proud smile. She loved being right. "Should I go on or are you going to finally tell me that Blaine Anderson is your soulmate?"

"What?" Kurt breathed out. "That's crazy, Rachel. You're crazy." Kurt looked at Finn with frantic eyes. "Your girlfriend is crazy, Finn. She should be institutionalized."

Rachel glanced behind her at Finn and then at Kurt's closet. "Nice luggage, though very expensive. Are you planning on taking a trip somewhere? Or is, I don't know, Blaine visiting and hiding from me right now?"

"Damn she's good," Finn muttered from the doorway, both in awe and turned on. He always loved when Rachel got assertive.

Kurt closed his eyes and sighed with a groan. Damn Rachel for being so observant. "You are an absolute head case, Berry. Get the hell out of my room before I physically remove you."

"Go ahead and try," Rachel challenged. "I know I'm right."

Kurt looked at Finn, his eyes blazing. "Get her out of here, now!"

Before Finn could move though, Blaine opened the bathroom door and walked out. "Kurt, it's ok," he said with a cautious smile and Rachel squealed. "She already figured it out."

Rachel hurried to his side. "Blaine Anderson, let me just say that I am a huge fan! You are by far the most talented, most soulful man on the planet and I am honored to meet you!"

Blaine smiled politely, noticing the deadly glare on Kurt's face. He needed to diffuse the situation quickly. "It's nice to meet you too, Rachel. But I hope you understand that this has to stay a secret. It's very important that this does not get out."

"Oh absolutely!" Rachel exclaimed. "I would never tell anyone! It would be very unwise of me. If this got out then Kurt's life would completely flip upside down. The paparazzi would be all over this place and our school and that cannot happen. I mean, I would surely be able to handle all the attention and it'd be a perfect way for me to get discovered, but Kurt may not be able to handle it all and it would be terrible if he folded under the pressure when Regionals is at our fingertips. I swear, your secret is very safe with me," she assured them, glancing at Kurt and nodding. That was only a partial truth. Rachel would love the chance to be surrounded by paparazzi and shine like the star she was born to be. But if she ever wanted a real friendship with Kurt, and a chance to sing with Blaine one day, she needed to think about their wish for privacy first.

"We'd appreciate that," Blaine sighed with relief, grateful that the tension in Kurt's shoulder dissipated slightly, though the look on his face made it clear that he was still pissed off. "Now, I don't mean to get in the affairs of your Glee club but I did overhear your discussion with Kurt and I would like to offer some advice, if that's alright with you," he said with his most charming smile.

Rachel's eyes shone with excitement. "Of course."

Kurt and Finn glanced at each other curiously and then back at Blaine. "I understand that you're all having some trouble with who should sing the solo at Regionals, and I've seen some of your performances, Rachel, you are indeed extraordinarily talented." Rachel beamed with pride. "But just because you're meant to be a star doesn't mean that the others aren't, nor does it mean that you have to be the star every single performance. My advice to you is to step back and let the others shine. The last thing you want to do is alienate your teammates. Harmony amongst each other is very important when performing and if there's hostility, the judges will see and you will lose."

Rachel forced a smile. "No offense Blaine, but don't you think that's a bit hypocritical?" Blaine's brows shot up, Finn's jaw went slack, and Kurt gasped. "As The Warblers' front man, you know better than anyone how important it is to have a strong leading vocalist and for you to tell that I should step back and let others who are clearly less capable than I am makes you, well a hypocrite."

"Listen here you stuck up little bitch," Kurt said through gritted teeth as he took a menacing step forward. Blaine grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back though, soothingly shushing in his ear. Kurt took a shaky breath and stepped away from Rachel.

Blaine slipped his hands in his pockets and narrowed his eyes on Rachel a bit. He didn't want to be rude to her but she needed to know the way she was treating her friends was unacceptable. "You're right, Rachel. It is important to have a strong lead vocalist but it's not by any means the most important thing. I'm The Warblers lead vocalist because the guys, my very best friends in the whole world, want me to be, and let me tell you that if one of them wanted to take lead, I would not hesitate to let them. Because what is the most important thing, is treating each other with respect. Do you know why we're so successful? Why The Warblers work so well together?" he asked continuing before Rachel could get a word in.

"We're successful and we work well together because we use every one of our best assets, we respect each other's opinions even if we don't agree with them, and we never doubt one another. We never alienate the others talent and we never try to be the star of the group. We work together as a team because we are a team, and no offense Rachel, but by not sharing the spotlight and making everything about you, you're being selfish. At the end of the day I could care less if I lose my fame but if I lost my friends, I'd be devastated. I would be nothing without them and I can guarantee that once you're at the top, you're going to be very lonely when you have no one to share it with."

Kurt and Finn glanced at each other in shock, neither expecting Blaine to be so forceful with Rachel. But Blaine had no problem giving her a reality check. It was obvious that she held herself on a very high pedestal and she needed to be knocked down a few pegs for her own sake.

It hurt Rachel to hear Blaine call her selfish. It was one thing to hear it from her classmates. But to hear it from Blaine Anderson, singer and songwriter extraordinaire, someone she admired, shattered her heart. Her eyes filled with tears as she stepped away from Blaine. "Excuse me," she choked out and ran out of the room.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Kurt muttered as he chased after. "Rachel!" Kurt rounded the corner and grabbed Rachel's arm. "Damn it, Rachel! Hold on!"

"What do you want? To tell me how awful I am?" Rachel snapped. "I'm pretty sure your soulmate just did that."

"You're not awful, Rachel. Not completely," Kurt said with an annoyed huff. "But you have to admit that you make people want to strangle you."

"Look, I'm sorry ok?" She shrieked. "I'm sorry I'm such a busy body and I'm sorry that I'm so much more talented than everybody else!" Kurt rolled his eyes. "I don't try to be! I just have to work so hard to be heard and no one ever respects me!"

"Well maybe if you didn't act like a crazy Diva bitch all the time we would respect you!" Kurt shouted in return.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled, her eyes shifting to Finn and Blaine who were watching them from Kurt's doorway. "I'm sorry," she said much quieter. "I am selfish, and intrusive, and I do demand all the attention, but it's just because I want to be a part of something. I want to be a part of your life and you always push me away." Kurt sighed again as guilt and understanding washed over him. "And I understand why you didn't tell me about Blaine," she continued. "This is a huge secret to keep and I get why you kept it to yourself. I do wish you had trusted me enough though. I'm going to be your sister-in-law one day and we should be able to talk about these things. But I know that I make it hard to trust me and for that I am truly sorry."

"Yeah, you do," Kurt said with a firm nod but then sighed, pulling her into a hug. "But you're Rachel. Being difficult and pushy is who you are. I love you Rach, you know I do, but you really need to learn to keep your nose out of other people's business."

"I know, I'm sorry." Rachel nodded as her tears subsided. "Do you forgive me?"

"Only if you promise to tone down the crazy a little bit. I want to include you in my life but I can't do that if I can't trust you," he told her and she nodded sheepishly. "And I'll talk to Tana and tell her the same, alright? She's been extra bitchy lately and she needs to tone it down too."

"Ok," Rachel sniffled and looked over at Blaine. "Goodbye, Blaine. Thank you for the advice, I know you meant well." Blaine offered a tight smile, hating the fact that he made the young girl cry. That had never been his intent. "It was a pleasure meeting you. Finn, walk me out, please." Finn nodded and hurried to his girlfriend's side.

Blaine waved goodbye and Kurt sighed deeply as he walked back to his bedroom, closing the door behind them. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and rested his forehead on top of Blaine's. "I'm really, really sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," Blaine replied with a peck on the lips. "It has been over a month already. I'm genuinely surprised that people have given us as much space as they have." Kurt pulled his head back and looked at Blaine with worry. "I think it might be time to tell the rest of your friends. I don't know how much longer the media and the fans are going to leave us alone and I don't know how much longer I can go without screaming your name from the rooftops," he said with a bashful smile, reminding himself that he needed to talk to Kurt about the bullying at McKinley and that they needed to get Jacob Ben Israel's blog taken down as soon as possible.

"Do you have an idea of when you want to tell the world about me?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shrugged a little. "I was thinking maybe during Christmas break," he said cautiously. "I know that you'll still be in school but I want to share you with the world. And I want us to be the ones that reveal your identity, not anyone else. I don't think we'd be able to make it the entire school year with you as my secret."

Kurt nodded understandingly, an expected thrill shooting through him at the idea of revealing his identity to the world. He was sure that he would be terrified of doing so but instead he was elated. "I agree. I want us to be the ones that reveal my identity, not some crazed fan who figured it out. I think Christmas break is a good idea."

Blaine smiled brightly. "Yeah?"

Kurt matched his smile and nodded. "Yeah. As far as my friends, I'll start telling them soon. Rachel's the first to put it together but they've all noticed how different I've been acting." Kurt slid his arms down, grabbed hold of Blaine's shirt, and started walking them towards his bed. "But for right now, my parents won't be home for at least thirty more minutes and my lips really, really miss you," he said seductively.

Kurt fell back into his bed with giggle, all thoughts of Rachel vanishing, Blaine falling on top of him. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?" Kurt shook his head and pulled Blaine into a searing kiss.

"Sup, Lil Mami," Jeff greeted happily when he answered Santana's Skype call. She smiled at him though it lacked its usual brightness and Jeff immediately worried. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Santana looked away from her webcam and shifted in her chair. "You know how you keep asking me if I'm doing ok," she started, her voice quiet and full of vulnerability. She hated how weak she felt but she knew that if she didn't lay it all out on the line she would lose her mind, "and how I keep telling you that I'm fine?" She glanced up at Jeff and he nodded. "Well I'm not." Her voice broke.

Jeff glanced at Nick who was sitting a few feet away, no longer reading the book in his hand but listening to Santana's and Jeff's conversation with concern. "Whatever it is, you can tell us," Jeff said gently and Santana knew that Nick had to be nearby listening.

She stayed quiet for a few minutes to gather her thoughts, her fingers playing with the frills of her grandmother's quilt that was draped around her. She didn't want to tap into the emotions she'd held back for so long but she felt as though she no longer had the choice. She still hurt over the fact that Brittany wasn't hers. She was confused by her feelings for Quinn and she was terrified of taking any sort of step forward with her birthday so close. But most of all she was angry with herself for not being able to get her shit together. She was angry at herself for allowing the pain in her heart to make her weak. She looked up at Jeff who was watching with kind eyes and took a deep breath.

"It all started this summer," she spoke somberly, "when Brittany turned 18."

Jeff and Nick listened intently as Santana told them about Brittany and how devastated she had been when her name didn't appear on the blonde's wrist. She told them how she blamed Brittany, how she yelled at the poor girl and accused her of somehow altering the magic so that Sam was her soulmate instead of her. She cried with guilt as she told them how she badmouthed them both and how she had hoped that their love would fail. That was all before school started. Before she saw how perfectly they truly did fit together. But it didn't make the pain in her heart go away. If anything it worsened as guilt and shame washed over her every day.

She then told them about Quinn and how she attached herself to her best friend in her soul's time of need. She admitted to wanting nothing more than to have her way with Quinn, to make Quinn hers, to claim her, just so that the ache in her heart would disappear. In her eyes, she replaced Brittany with Quinn. She didn't want Quinn for Quinn. She wanted her because she was there and she felt like a terrible person for it. She felt like she was pushing herself on Quinn, needing some sort of connection to someone to fill the hole Brittany left in her heart and she hated it. She hated how dependent she felt on the simple touch of Quinn's fingertips. She hated how selfish she was being, how willing she was to ruin a friendship and all in the name of loneliness. In a lot of ways, she hated herself. She felt bad for whoever was stuck with her.

"And I'm just so angry all the time," she cried. Jeff and Nick's heart shattered for her. "All I do is bitch, bitch, bitch, and I'm so fucking tired of it. I'm so tired of constantly feeling like there's this black hole surrounding me and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do." She mumbled the last sentence into her hands and Nick was grateful that he was off to the side so she couldn't see him.

Nick hadn't expected Santana's situation to affect him as much as it did. He hadn't expected to cry with her as she told them of her heartbreak. But he also hadn't expected her to be in a situation that was so similar to his. He hadn't expected her to lose the person she thought was meant to be the love of her life the way he had. He caught Jeff's gaze and with an encouraging smile from his beloved, he knew what he needed to do. He wiped his tears away and pulled himself together before scooting over to Jeff.

Jeff wrapped his arms around Nick's waist and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," he whispered.

Nick smiled softly and nodded before turning his attention to Santana. He gave her a moment to pull herself together before talking quietly. "Tana," she looked up at him with sad eyes though he could see her walls rebuilding. "Would you like to hear what happened to me at Dalton? Before I turned 18, I mean." Santana shrugged and then nodded, her interest piqued. Nick took a deep breath. "Well, before I knew that Jeff was my soulmate, I was dating a girl, Leila."

Santana's eyebrows shot up. "You dated a girl?" she asked disbelievingly. "Why?"

Nick chuckled. "Well contrary to popular belief, I wasn't always gay. Or at least, I wasn't aware I was until my 18th birthday," he said with a quick wink at Jeff. "But anyway, Leila and I dated for over two years. I'd known her most of my life and about halfway through freshman year, I asked her to be my girlfriend. She and I were pretty inseparable. She was my absolute everything. I was certain that she was the one for me."

"Ok, so what happened? You turned 18, saw Jeff's name, and realized you liked cock?" She asked sarcastically. "Where the hell were you during all this?" she directed at Jeff with a nod.

"I was there, watching them act like love sick puppies," Jeff said with a shrug. "And for the record, I always knew I was gay, and I was secretly in love with Nick even though he was straight. Just so you know," he said with a slight tease.

Nick rolled his eyes and shoved him away playfully. "As I was saying, I was in love with this girl Santana, head over heels in love with her. We were practically planning our wedding already. That all changed on her 18th birthday."

Realization of how similar Nick's past and her present were dawned on her and she sat back with an inhale. "The name on her wrist wasn't yours."

Nick shook his head. "No, it wasn't. I even stayed the night with her. We were going to wake up in each other's arms and start making concrete plans about our future. But when we woke up, it wasn't me, it was another guy."

"Were you pissed? Did you throw a fit?"

"Yes and no," Nick answered. "I was angry sure, but I was mostly heartbroken. I couldn't imagine living my life without her. I couldn't imagine there being anyone else for me. She was supposed to be it for me. No one else."

"What did you do?" Santana asked quietly.

"Well that morning, I left and went to Dalton, ran straight into Jeff's arms in fact, and I cried. I cried like I had never cried before," Nick told her.

"And I held him," Jeff said, his eyes on Nick. "I let him cry and I held him until he eventually passed out and I had to carry him back to his room."

"After that, I became a former shell of myself," Nick continued. "I didn't hang out with my friends, I stopped singing. Hell, I practically stopped talking. The way I saw it, the universe took her away from me and I was left to be alone and miserable for the rest of my life."

"So if she turned 18 before you that means she was older than the both of you," Santana concluded and they nodded. She looked at Jeff. "And then you turned 18?"

Jeff nodded again with a sigh. "Yeah, about two months later. I hadn't really given my soulmate much thought. I never wanted to think about it because I thought I couldn't have the person I wanted."

"But you did, you got Nick."

"Yeah butâit wasn't that easy. Not at the time," Jeff told her. "I was terrified when his name appeared. I didn't think he'd want me. I didn't think he'd accept us. I never told him that he was meant to be mine. I didn't tell anyone."

"Your birthdays are like, four months apart though," Santana pointed out. "You went that entire time without saying anything to him? To anyone?"

Jeff shook his head. "Yeah. I didn't want him to feel like I was somehow pushing myself on him, especially when he wasn't over Leila."

"I'm actually grateful that he didn't tell me," Nick said with a small smile. "I wasn't ready. I needed time to accept that no matter what, Leila and I would never be."

"So what happened on your birthday?" She asked, eager to know more.

Nick and Jeff glanced at each other, a light blush on their cheeks. "Everything fell into place."

Nick didn't rush to look at the name on his wrist. He was in no hurry to see who he was destined to be with. Part of him knew it was because he was afraid that somehow there would be no name. But he reminded himself that everyone got a soulmate, even if it wasn't the one they wanted or thought it should be. He didn't feel anxious though, not like most of the other guys had on their birthdays and he couldn't help but wonder exactly how well he knew his soulmate. Was she someone who went to Crawford Country Day? Or was she someone he knew from youth group? He glanced at his clock to see the time before finally deciding to take a look. He stared at his wrist for what seemed like hours before a smile slowly crept across his face. How had he not realized this sooner?

x*x*x

Jeff sat at his desk tapping his pencil nervously as he waited for Nick to show. He hoped Nick wasn't mad at him. Or worse, disgusted by the fact that they were soulmates. A gentle knock on his dorm door made him jump and he felt his heart beat out of his chest. "Come in," he called out, his voice cracking at the end.

Nick opened the door, his face stoic, and closed it behind him. Jeff gulped as Nick walked over to him. "Just answer me one thing," Nick said and Jeff could already feel tears prickling behind his eyes. "When we move in together, you're going to clean the kitchen right? Cause you know I hate doing the dishes," he smirked.

Jeff breathed out a relieved chuckle. "You're not mad at me? For hiding this from you?" Nick shook his head as he stepped closer, stopping directly in front of Jeff. "And you're ok with it? With us?"

Nick smiled softly. "More than ok. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't figure it out sooner."

Jeff offered him a watery smile and reached for his hand. Nick intertwined their fingers before leaning in to capture Jeff's lips in a tender kiss. For the first time in his life, in both their lives, they felt at home.

Santana wiped a tear away, a small smile on her lips. "You two are so perfect. I swear I can't stand you sometimes."

Jeff laughed, kissing Nick's cheek before resting his chin on Nick's shoulder. "I know it hurts right now, Tana," Nick spoke gently. "I know that everything feels like it has no purpose, but just hang in there. Your birthday is in a few weeks and when your soulmate's name appears, everything will make sense."

Santana nodded and sighed. "How do I get over Brittany though? What do I do about Quinn?"

Jeff and Nick glanced at each other. They didn't need to say anything to each other to know what the other was thinking. "I say talk to her," Jeff suggested. "You're never going to be able to get over it until you fully accept that she's not yours. You need to let her go."

"You should talk to Quinn too," Nick continued. "She's your best friend, Tana, other than Kurt. She should know what's been going on with you. Maybe it'll help you get over your crush." Or make you realize she's meant to be yours, Nick thought but decided not to say, just in case Quinn wasn't hers.

Santana nodded with a small smile. "Thanks for talking to me and telling me about what happened to you. It gives me hope that I'm not going crazy."

"Of course," Jeff assured her. "We're here for you, Lil' Mami, always,"

After eating dinner with the family, Kurt and Blaine descended to Kurt's room with plans to do absolutely nothing but stay wrapped up in each other's arms on Kurt's bed. Blaine's head was resting on Kurt's chest, while Kurt's fingers intertwined in his hair and gently played with the loose curls. Finn had convinced their parents to go on a movie date, reminding them that it had been a while since they had gone out, and called Rachel to come over as long as she left Kurt and Blaine alone. Kurt's TV was on but neither was paying too much attention. Blaine had his eyes closed, a peaceful smile on his face, and enjoyed the tranquility he felt from being in Kurt's arms. Kurt glanced at the TV every so often but mostly kept his eyes on Blaine, loving the way his eyelashes laid beautifully on his face, his heart melting at Blaine's serene smile. Nothing could disturb their current state of peace. Except Blaine's cell phone incessant buzzing that is. With a sigh, Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket and read the multiple messages.

WarblerDavid : Nothing makes me happier than spending the weekend with my two best girls.*KatThompson [pic]

WarblerJeff : *WarblerDavid *KatThompson Dayum girl. You're getting HUGE!

WarblerDavid : *WarblerJeff *KatThompson HA! I know right! That's my healthy baby girl right there!

KatThompson : *WarblerJeff *WarblerDavid Hush Sterling. I look fabulous.

WarblerNick : *KatThompson You look beautiful Kat. I can't wait to meet my new niece.

KatThompson : *WarblerNick Thanks Nick. 2 months left and counting. #Iamready

WarblerWes : *WarblerDavid I'm shocked you were the first to tweet about our weekend getaway. I was certain it would've been *WarblerBlaine.

WarblerDavid : *WarblerWes Lol! He's too busy enjoying a special somebody's sweet kisses. #coughcough *HisLuckyCharm

Blaine laughed and shook his head. His friends were ridiculous. "What's so funny?" Kurt asked curiously. Blaine gave Kurt his phone and let him read the messages. He clicked on the link David posted and cooed at the picture of David resting his head on Katherine's growing belly. "I'm so excited for them," he said as he handed Blaine his phone. "Have they picked a name out?"

"Not yet. They have a few choices but nothing's stuck yet," Blaine answered as he sat up. "Since David has already started a bit of riot, do you want to keep it going?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Kurt raised a suspicious brow and nodded. "Sure."

"Yay," Blaine said excitedly and Kurt couldn't help but laugh. "Grab your laptop."

Kurt got up to get his laptop from his desk as Blaine grabbed his iPad from his luggage. Blaine motioned at Kurt to sit against his headboard and then settled in-between Kurt's legs. He wrapped Kurt's arms around his torso, rested his head back in the crook of Kurt's neck and angled his face before taking a photo of them with his iPad.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked with a laugh as Blaine scurried out of his arms and sat next to him.

"You'll see," Blaine sang.

Kurt logged into Twitter and watched Blaine crop and edit the photo he just took. Kurt internally swooned when he saw the finished product. Blaine had changed it to black and white and cropped out all of Kurt's face with the exception of a hint of his jawline, and the expression on Blaine's face was both seductive and loving. Blaine looked incredibly comfortable resting against Kurt's chest and the teasing smirk on his lips was indescribably sexy.

"You ready?" Blaine asked, the photo already attached to the tweet.

"By all means, kill your fangirls," Kurt teased with a smirk. Blaine grinned excitedly and hit send.

WarblerBlaine : There's nothing better than being in his arms.*HisLuckyCharm #bestweekendever [pic]

BlainesWife : OMG! WHAT IS AIR?! RT: *WarblerBlaine There's nothing better than being in his arms.*HisLuckyCharm #bestweekendever [pic]

WarblerFanatic : *WarblerBlaine *HisLuckyCharm ldjhfqlkwegfaksjdf

DebbyRose: *WarblerBlaine *HisLuckyCharm It is truly unfair how adorable you two are.

KlainesArmy : Done with you. *WarblerBlaine There's nothing better than being in his arms.*HisLuckyCharm #bestweekendever [pic]

KlainesArmy

You're with Blaine! That's why you can't talk this weekend! AAH! I'm flailing so much right now!

Kurt laughed at the tweets and DMs he received from the few fans he did follow before glancing at Blaine who was replying to his own flailing messages. Blaine caught his gaze and sent him a wink and Kurt couldn't help but blush a little.

HisLuckyCharm

Lol yeah, Blaine's here. He surprised me yesterday. Trust me, I flailed quite a bit myself.

HisLuckyCharm : Best weekend ever indeed. ;) *WarblerBlaine

HisLuckyCharm : *BlainesWife Don't you dare stop breathing. We still have a wedding to plan darling.

"I can't believe you're stealing my wife," Blaine teased with a pout.

Kurt shrugged and chuckled. "Sorry. It's not my fault they love me more."

"They do love you," Blaine said with an endearing smile. "But not as much as I love you."

Kurt sideways glanced, the blush on his cheeks deepening. "I love you, too."

They answered fans for a little while, teasing each other through tweets and joking with the guys who decided to start a, who's the cuter couple, contest. Or rather, Jeff decided to by taking and posting several cute and silly pictures of him and Nick on the bus. Kurt was moments away from logging out and curling up next to Blaine for the night when a tweet caught his attention.

KlainesArmy : *Sebastians_Love Just because you can't accept reality doesn't make it any less true, and at the end of the day, I know I'm not the one living in a fantasy.

Kurt clicked on the tweet to read back through the conversation and quickly realized that the user she was talking to was the same person who ran the Seblaine Tumblr blog.

Sebastians_Love : *KlainesArmy You are so naÃve. Blaine is nothing but a liar parading this guy around who is NOT his soulmate and Seb is sitting at home devastated.

Blaine looked over at Kurt's screen and scowled.

KlainesArmy : *Sebastians_Love It's a sad day in your life when you can't separate fiction from reality.

Sebastians_Love: *KlainesArmy: It's a sad day in YOUR life when you fall victim to such a ridiculous scheme.

"Oh no, that is it," Kurt muttered in frustration as he clicked reply.

"Kurt," Blaine warned but it was too late.

HisLuckyCharm : *Sebastians_Love You need to back off. Blaine is MY soulmate, not Sebastian's, and nothing you say is going to change that.

Sebastians_Love : *HisLuckyCharm How much are they paying you to pretend? Whatever it is I hope it's worth ruining a man's life over.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Kurt yelled at his computer. He went to reply again when Blaine stopped him.

"Please love, let this go," Blaine implored gently. "This is a very bad idea."

Kurt groaned. "I know, but Blaine, this guy is constantly talking shit, if not on here than on Tumblr."

"Let him. We know the truth. That's all that matters," Blaine told him. "Look, I get why this upsets you. I know of this guy already, Sebastian and I both do and trust me when I tell you that nothing we say will change his mind. Your best option is to block him and ignore him. Tell Brittany to do the same because he will continue to bully her and after a while, it gets hard to ignore."

Kurt huffed in aggravation but nodded and turned back to his computer.

HisLuckyCharm : Going to spend the rest of my evening curled in the arms of my love. Until next time.

HisLuckyCharm

Blaine said to block that Seblainer. It's best not to engage with them.

KlainesArmy

Will do. Enjoy your cuddles. (SO much flailing right now)

Kurt smiled softly at Brittany's reply. He was grateful for her friendship and one day he would show her how much he appreciated her support. He logged off Twitter and set his computer aside before turning to Blaine. "Are you upset with me?"

"Of course not," Blaine replied with a gentle smile. "Just don't interact with the haters. That will never end well, I promise you." Kurt nodded with a small smile. "And speaking of haters and bullies, how's McKinley been?" he asked cautiously, figuring it was time to have the conversation he was dreading.

Kurt shrugged nonchalantly. "It's fine." Blaine said nothing but the look on his face spoke volumes. "What? Don't you believe me?" Kurt asked defensively.

Blaine chose his next words carefully. "It's not that I don't believe you, butâ"

"But?"

Blaine took a breath. "I know about the website, Kurt. I know about Jacob Ben Israel's blog."

Kurt inhaled sharply. "What? How?"

"Remember the night we met, when you asked me to leave the bullying at McKinley alone?"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't," Blaine admitted. "I couldn't. I asked Eric to do some research and he found the blog."

"What? Blaine," Kurt said in disbelief.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I'm not sorry I looked into it," Blaine said and in that moment, Kurt didn't see his fun loving soulmate, he saw an adult who was trying to treat him like a child.

Kurt stood up from his bed abruptly and glared at him. "And what exactly did you find out? Huh? That the student body and the teachers are all assholes? I could've told you. In fact, I did tell you that. I cannot believe you went behind my back."

"And I can't believe you lied to me," Blaine retorted as he stood up. "You tell me everything at school is fine when it's obviously not."

"And that makes it ok?" Kurt argued. "It's fine that you went behind my back when I specifically asked you not to because I didn't want to tell you the specifics of the homophobes at my school?"

"This is so much more than that," Blaine said angrily. "There are videos, Kurt, tons of them where you are being ridiculed and harassed. How is any of that ok?"

"None of it's ok but it's my life," Kurt shouted. "I've been dealing with this shit for years and yeah it sucks but I'm handling it."

"Yeah, you're handling it," Blaine scoffed. "By being a bitch to them."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Because I have to be," he yelled, his voice cracking.

"But you don't," Blaine said with a hint of desperation. He walked over to Kurt and pulled him into his arms. "You don't have to be and you shouldn't have to be. Kurt, I know you're pissed off at me but please see things from my perspective. I can't stand the thought of you having to deal with this crap. You are entirely too incredible to. This is why I keep insisting on you coming on tour with us. That way you don't have to deal with the bullshit and we could be together."

Kurt shoved Blaine away. "I cannot go on tour with you."

"Why not?" Blaine said as he tried to reach for him. But Kurt stepped away again, his arms crossed defiantly. "Aren't you tired of the bullshit? Don't you want to be with me?"

"Of course I'm tired of it and yes I want to be with you. But Blaine," Kurt breathed out, his eyes filling up with tears. "It's not that simple. It's so much more than just getting away from the bullying. It's leaving my friends, my commitments. I've worked my ass off to become Cheerios captain and you're asking me to throw all that away and for what? To sit on a bus while you're working? I can't do that. I can't just drop everything in my life and follow you around just because we're soulmates. How could I do that? How could I leave my friends behind? How could I leave my girls like that?"

"Kurt."

"No, Blaine," Kurt said firmly. "I cannot leave McKinley because you don't like the fact that some football players want to throw names at me. I'm not that weak and honestly, I'm hurt that you think I was."

"I don't think you're weak, love." Blaine reached out for Kurt once more and Kurt finally accepted, relaxing in Blaine's arms even though he was upset. "You're the strongest person I know. I just hate that you have to deal with this."

"But I have to, Blaine. I have to deal with this. I love that you want to protect me but I have to protect myself," Kurt said quietly. "You may be my prince, but you're not my knight in shining armor. I'm my own knight."

Blaine nodded, kissing Kurt's forehead before leaning on it. "I know, and I'm sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't take care of yourself."

"It's ok," Kurt said, backing his head away to look at Blaine. "I forgive you." Blaine gave him an unsure smile and he tensed. "What? What now?"

"We have to do something about that blog, Kurt," Blaine told him seriously. "It wasn't hard to find and if the media gets ahold of it then everyone will see and we don't want that."

"We've tried getting his blog taken down," Kurt said with an eye roll. "But since it's Jacob's personal blog the principal won't do anything about it."

"That's what we figured. We have an idea, a plan, but we need your approval before doing it," Blaine said as he walked them back over to Kurt's bed to sit.

"What kind of plan?"

"Have you ever heard of the SSAA?" Blaine asked.

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "The soulmate safety people? The ones who monitor soulmates closer than the CIA monitors terrorists?" Blaine nodded. "Yeah, kind of. What about them?"

"Eric has a friend in the association and he wants to bring their attention to Jacob's blog," Blaine said and Kurt's face dropped. "According to Eric, this blog, all those videos of students getting harassed, can have a major effect on a person's psyche and it's considered dangerous for someone's soulmate to see them in such a vulnerable state."

"Okâ" Kurt said slowly, not entirely sure where Blaine was going.

"I'll put it to you like this, if I were to kill someone because I saw them harass you on this blog, the SSAA would have to put us both under psyche evaluations and Jacob would most likely go to jail. I would not be held accountable for my actions, Jacob would be."

"But you aren't going to kill anyone," Kurt deadpanned.

Blaine chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm not. But someone else might. The need to protect our soulmate is a very strong emotion, Kurt. One that should not be swept under the rug."

"So what? We send the SSAA this website and that's it?" Kurt questioned.

"Not exactly," Blaine said hesitantly. "We'd both have to speak directly to someone and they would do an evaluation on us. They would then take the information they have to the head of the SSAA and she would handle it from there. She'd watch every single video and then contact the school board."

"But if we get evaluated, won't we forever be watched by these people?" Kurt asked fearfully.

Blaine shrugged with an apologetic smile. "Yes and no. I think they'd watch us for a little while just to make sure we're doing ok, but then they'd leave us alone. I know it seems a bit extreme but it's the only way we can think of to get rid of this blog and all its evidence for good without turning it into a big media circus. It would all be handled very quietly."

Kurt groaned, not at all liking the idea. "Are you sure there's no other way?"

"Unfortunately, no. I mean, we could always threaten the school board to go public with the website which would bring SSAA right to their door, and I'm sure they would do everything in their power to get the blog taken down so that doesn't happen. But that doesn't guarantee that Jacob won't post them on a new blog later. If we go directly to the SSAA, they would make sure that every video was deleted from every possible format. Plus, we have an insider so we'll be in good hands."

"This insider is Eric's friend?" Kurt asked and Blaine nodded. "Who is it exactly."

Blaine smiled widely, though Kurt could tell by the cautious look in his eyes that he wouldn't like the answer. "No one too important. Just, you know, the head of the SSAA."

"Eric's friend is the head of the SSAA? Are you kidding me?!" Kurt screeched with panic.

Blaine cupped Kurt's face with his hands. "Hey, it's ok. Everything's going to be fine. I promise. Please trust me on this."

Kurt nodded in his hands and gulped. He didn't know much about the SSAA, just enough to know that being in their crosshairs was not necessarily a good thing. The head of the SSAA, a woman that reminded Kurt of the Grand High Witch in The Witches was a hardcore military woman and Kurt was admittedly scared of her. He was taught to respect and fear her at an early age and the thought of associating with her was terrifying. But he knew he needed to trust Blaine and if Blaine trusted Eric's plan then he would to.

A/N: SSAA stands for Soulmate Safety Administrative Association. I hope you liked this chapter. :)

Glee starts in a few days! YAY! *happy dance*

This Isn't Goodbye

A/N: Hello my beautiful, amazing, wonderful readers. I do not have enough words to express how truly grateful I am to each and every one of you. Thank you for the constant love and support.

Many of you inquired about Niff so I've written a oneshot for them. It's my newest "fic" Boys of Dalton, which will actually be a series of oneshots that coincide with this story. Check that out if you're interested. :)

The song featured in the chapter is Miss Jackson by Panic! At The Disco.

MuseInMe3, BritBoJangles, thank you as always.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

When Celebrities Fight Back

This past weekend on Twitter, The Warblers' front man Blaine Anderson and his soulmate, whose name has yet to be revealed past the letter K, caused quite the uproar. The Warblers are currently on a small break from their tour and while David Thompson and Wes Montgomery are back in LA visiting their wives, Blaine is in Ohio with his newly found soulmate. Where in Ohio no one knows, but the fans have been searching for him all through Columbus, the same place the band was discovered and the same place Blaine, allegedly, found his soulmate.

Many of Blaine's fans are exceedingly happy for him, one fan going as far as creating an army for them on Twitter, KlainesArmy. But there are a few who seem to be less than enthused and have gone as far as calling them out. What started off as cute and funny tweets between the young couple and the fans ended with Blaine's soulmate defending their relationship. A Twitter user by the name of Sebastians_Love has downright accused Blaine and K of lying about their relationship and has openly argued with "Klaine" supporters.

Sebastians_Love : Klainers are so blind. How can they not see that this entire "relationship" is a lie? It's PR trying to uphold Blaine's "wholesome" image.

Sebastians_Love : *KlainesArmy You are so naÃve. Blaine is nothing but a liar parading this guy around who is NOT his soulmate and Seb is sitting at home devastated.

This all occurred while Blaine and K were on Twitter speaking with the fans and "Klaine" fans fought back hard.

KlainesArmy : *Sebastians_Love It's a sad day in your life when you can't separate fiction from reality.

BlainesWife : *Sebastians_Love Stfu and gtfo! You don't know anything about them!

Cheerio_Sandbags : *Sebastians_Love Your delusions are hysterical.

RachelBarbara : *Sebastians_Love You are not a real Blaine Anderson fan. If you were you would know that Blaine would never lie about such a thing.

But out of all the tweets, the best one of the night came directly from the mysterious K himself.

HisLuckyCharm : *Sebastians_Love You need to back off. Blaine is MY soulmate, not Sebastian's, and nothing you say is going to change that.

Sebastians_Love was quick to respond.

Sebastians_Love : *HisLuckyCharm How much are they paying you to pretend? Whatever it is I hope it's worth ruining a man's life over.

For those who don't remember, this is not Sebastians_Love's first attempt to have their beliefs confirmed. Back in 2008, they tweeted Sebastian Smythe and Blaine practically demanding answers as to why the two had not gotten married yet. Blaine and Sebastian, both Dalton Academy Alumni, were dating at the time, though many say the relationship was never meant to be more than a fun way to pass the time. While Blaine always ignored the inquiries about his relationship with Sebastian, Smythe made sure to say that they were the best of friends and had gone as far as replying to Sebastians_Love with a simple, "We aren't soulmates." It seems that as the years have passed though, Sebastians_Love, among several other Smythe supporters, refuse to believe that Sebastian and Blaine are not meant for each other.

Why is that? Are they living in a fantasy world where their favorite celebrities are skipping through a field of flowers? Or are they on to Hollywood's hottest secret? Is K really Blaine's soulmate? Or is he there simply to help Blaine's image? And where is Sebastian in all this? After his movie announcement on Twitter he's all but dropped off the face of the planet. Is he too busy with his new role? Or is it possible that he's hiding because his soulmate has been stolen from him? What are your thoughts?

Perez Hill

"You've been in there a really long time, Kurt," Blaine said from where he sat on Kurt's bed. "Did you drown yourself in hairspray?" he teased.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Kurt called out from inside the bathroom and Blaine laughed. It was late Saturday morning and the new couple had the house to themselves. Burt and Finn were working at the shop while Carole visited her sister.

Kurt decided to take the opportunity to put on a show for Blaine. For their, step outside their comfort zone assignment for Glee club, Kurt knew exactly what song he wanted to perform and he wanted Blaine's opinion. This was his guilty pleasure. Even Santana didn't know he was a fan of the band and no one in Glee would expect him to sing this type of song. With a final spray to his hair, Kurt nodded his approval in the mirror and walked out.

"So," he said from the doorway and Blaine's jaw dropped. "What do you think?" he asked with a twirl.

Blaine's eyes traveled down Kurt's body, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "You are the spitting image of Brendon Urie right now," he said, clearly impressed by Kurt's outfit.

Kurt beamed proudly. "Perfect." He walked over to his iHome and chose his song. "Now, as many times as I've sang this song to myself, I've never actually performed it so please bear with me. Remember, this is way out of my comfort zone."

Blaine nodded and sat up straighter, eager to see Kurt's performance. He was admittedly surprised when Kurt confessed his love of Panic! At the Disco and as Kurt got into character for the song, he got the feeling that Kurt was about to blow him away.

(Climbing out back the door, didn't leave a mark)

(No one knows it's you Miss Jackson)

(Found another victim)

(But no one's ever gonna find Miss Jackson)

With a devilish smirk on his lips, a slight tilt of his head, and his prop microphone in hand, Kurt completely transformed in front of Blaine. He was the perfect embodiment of Brendon Urie. Blaine quickly grabbed his phone and started recording. He couldn't let the opportunity pass.

You put a sour little flavor in my mouth now

You move in circles hoping no one's gonna find out

But we're so lucky,

Kiss the ring and let 'em bow down

Looking for the time of your life (No one's gonna find out)

A pretty picture but the scenery is so loud,

A face like heaven catching lighting in your nightgown,

But back away from the water, babe, you might drown

The party isn't over tonight (Party in your night gown)

Blaine licked his lips, his mouth slightly parted as his pants suddenly got tighter and the temperature in the room significantly rose. That certainly wasn't the reaction he anticipated, but he hadn't expected Kurt to be downright sexy either. It was dirty even, the way he sang and looked directly into Blaine's camera, and with the tiniest roll of his hips, Blaine was practically drooling.

Hey

Where will you be waking up tomorrow morning?

Hey

Out the back door goddamn but I love her anyway (Hey)

I love her anyway (Hey)

I love her anyway (Hey)

Out the back door goddamn but I love her anyway

Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson

Are you nasty?

Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson

Are you nasty?

Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson

Are you nasty? Are you nasty?

I love her anyway

Oh,

Where will you be waking up tomorrow morning?

Oh

Out the back door goddamn but I love her anyway

Blaine kept the camera focused on Kurt as he slid off the bed, a seductive look in his eyes as he slowly stepped closer. Kurt's gaze followed Blaine and it felt almost like a game, as if Blaine was on the prowl and Kurt was his prey. Kurt let a wicked grin grace his face as he turned away from the camera and continued to perform as Blaine began to circle around him.

Way down 'til the fire finally dies out

You've got 'em wrapped around your finger watch 'em fall down

There's something beautiful and tragic in the fall out

Let me say it one more time (Tragic in the fall out)

Hey

Where will you be waking up tomorrow morning?

Hey

Out the back door goddamn but I love her anyway (Hey, hey, hey)

I love her anyway (Hey)

I love her anyway (Hey)

Out the back door goddamn but I love her anyway

Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson

Are you nasty?

Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson

Are you nasty?

Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson, Miss Jackson

Are you nasty? Are you nasty?

I love her anyway

Blaine came around to Kurt's front and stopped recording, tossing his phone onto Kurt's bed. Kurt stopped performing when Blaine grabbed hold of the microphone and tossed it next to his phone, his eyes blazing with a fire that Kurt had never seen. Kurt gulped as Blaine's hands grabbed his hips and walked him backwards, pushing him against the wall, against the giant poster of Blaine no less and his body shivered with overwhelming anticipation.

Blaine pressed his erection into Kurt's inner thigh and Kurt moaned, parting his legs so that Blaine was in between him. Blaine kept his eyes locked with Kurt's, his hand trailing down Kurt's thigh and his fingers digging in. "You," he whispered hotly, his lips grazing Kurt's, "are so fucking sexy."

"Blaine," Kurt breathed out with a quiver in his voice.

"The way you move," Blaine continued, pulling Kurt's leg up so that it wrapped around his torso. "The way you sing," Blaine grabbed Kurt's other leg and lifted him, a surprised gasp escaping Kurt's lips. "The way you moan for me," Blaine rolled his hips, smirking with pride at the sound of pure ecstasy Kurt emanated. He leaned into Kurt's ear and thrust again, his moans sending shivers down Kurt's spine. "You're my very own sexy little kitten and you deserve a treat for being so good," he whispered with a nip at Kurt's earlobe.

Kurt threw his head against the wall. "Holymotherofgod," he mumbled, his legs tightening around Blaine as Blaine's lips found their way to his neck.

"Just go in there already," Quinn said with an exasperated sigh. "Sue's already pissed that she couldn't get a hold of him herself. She's going to blow a damn gasket if we're late."

Santana groaned and hit the steering wheel. They were parked outside the Hudmel home to pick Kurt up for an emergency Cheerios practice and neither one of them wanted to be the one to get him. "He's probably balls deep inside Blaine right now. I don't want to disturb them. He only has Blaine until tomorrow. He needs his man candy time." Quinn sighed again, both girls looking up at the house. "Can't we just tell her that he's sick?"

"He's captain for a reason, Tana. Kurt never gets sick and Sue knows that. She counts on that," Quinn reminded her. "Besides, we need him. I know he needs to spend time with Blaine but if we don't re-choreograph this routine then we are royally fucked."

Santana groaned in defeat. "Fuck, fine." Santana unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at Quinn. "Keep the car on, I'll be right back." Quinn nodded and watched Santana go, her eyes lingering on the swish of Santana's skirt for only a moment before looking away.

Santana walked up the driveway to the side of the house and grabbed the spare key hidden away in a flower plot. She knew that no one was home because Kurt had text her first thing in this morning and told her, making sure to mention that he was shutting his phone off and threatening to end her life if she disturbed him. She hated to do this. She really did. But if she had to choose between who scared her more, Kurt or Sue, she had to pick Sue, and if they showed up to practice without their captain, they would be in deep shit.

Santana unlocked the front door and let herself in, taking a quick glance around the kitchen and living room in hopes that Kurt was down there. But as she approached the stairs and Kurt's moans traveled down, her guilt doubled. "Dammit, Hummel," she said as she started her way up the stairs. "Couldn't you at least be boring and be cuddling? Why the fuck did you have to be fucking?" she grumbled to herself.

She walked up the stairs as slow as she could, giving them as much time together as possible. As she started down the hall, she heard a bang against wall and couldn't stop the proud grin. "Wall sex. Wanky," she said as she reached the door.

Instead of knocking right away though, she pressed her ear against the door and listened to her best friend moan like a whore. She reached for the doorknob and silently opened his door, mentally bitching at him for not locking it, and peered inside. Her eyes went wide at the sight in front of her. Blaine's mouth was completely dominating Kurt's neck and she at least had the decency to blush when she saw the way Blaine's fingers dug into Kurt's thigh as he gyrated against Kurt. She only watched them for a moment, too entranced by the filthiness of it all to look away. But when Kurt let out a gurgled moan prompting Blaine to pull his body back just enough to slam him against the wall, she knew she needed to stop them. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door loudly and threw it open.

"Sorry to interrupt the party boys," she said, just barely holding back a laugh at how quickly Blaine let go of Kurt.

"What the fuck, Santana?" Kurt shouted, holding onto Blaine's shirt collar and keeping their bodies together.

Santana ignored the deadly glare Kurt sent her way. "Suit up, Hummel. Emergency Cheerios practice," she said apologetically.

"What?!" Kurt screeched, his legs dropping down completely. "Why?"

"Because Sue went to spy on the Broncos last night and she said, and I quote, 'if we don't get fresh we're going to dry up like grandma's vajayjay getting licked by a dying cat in the Sahara Desert'." Kurt groaned in aggravation while Blaine tried to make sense of what Santana just said. "She wants to re-choreograph our routine from top to bottom."

Kurt's jaw dropped, reluctantly letting Blaine go. "Are you fucking kidding me? We worked our asses off on that routine," he said with a whine.

Santana half shrugged. "This ain't no picnic for me either. When was the last time I talked to Britt?" she asked, continuing before he could answer. "Fucking forever ago and now I gotta collaborate with her? Regular practice is hard enough as is."

Kurt whined and stomped his feet before pushing Blaine away. "I have to go, I'm really sorry," he said as he grabbed his uniform that was hanging on his closet door.

"It's ok love, I understand," Blaine told him though there was no way of missing the sadness in his voice. Kurt pouted as he walked over to Santana and gave her his uniform. He walked back to Blaine and wrapped his arms around his neck as Blaine pulled him into a hug. "Go be a good captain. I'll be here waiting for you."

Kurt pulled back slightly and captured Blaine's lips in a tender kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," Blaine said with a peck. "Go on."

Kurt huffed and forced himself out of Blaine's arms. He grabbed his phone from his nightstand, removed his jacket and tossed it on the bed before heading out of his room. "Sue better sleep with her eyes fucking wide open."

"I know that's right," Santana mumbled after him.

Blaine sighed sadly, grabbing Kurt's jacket off the bed and going to his closet to hang it back up. Then he walked over to the bed, sat down on the edge and laid back. Now what do I do? He thought to himself as he adjusted the hard on he was still sporting. He stared at the ceiling for a little while before deciding to call Sebastian. He reached for his phone and went to his best friend's contact. If anyone could appreciate the need to whine over being cockblocked it was Sebastian Smythe. Though in the back of his mind he knew it was probably best that Santana came in when she did.

"You've reached Sebastian. Leave a message or I'm not calling you back."

Blaine's face scrunched in slight concern. That was the second call Sebastian had ignored. What was going on? Sebastian always answered for him. "Hey Seb, it's me. Kurt had an emergency cheerleading practice so I'm stuck at his house by myself all day. Give me a call back when you can. Bye."

Sebastian looked up from his script when he heard his phone beep with a new message. He called his voicemail and a small pang of guilt stabbed through him from ignoring Blaine's call again. He listened to the message, asking himself what kind of emergency cheerleaders could possibly have, before deleting it. He thought about calling Blaine back but decided against it, putting his phone on silent and returning to his script. He picked up his pencil and made a few notes before turning to the next page. He knew he was drowning himself in his role and he knew that he needed to be careful not to stress himself out. But he needed to completely immerse himself in his character. Ryan Veitch presented a challenge that none of his other roles ever offered and that was the main reason why he accepted it. He needed the challenge. He thrived on it.

He also knew that Blaine would eventually catch on that something was wrong. He planned on avoiding Blaine as much as possible, simply because he didn't want Blaine to worry about him. He didn't want to be a downer when Blaine was so blissfully happy with Kurt. But he knew that Blaine would surely realize that he wasn't doing well and that was a conversation he didn't want to have yet. Not again. Talking to Megan had been hard enough. He didn't want Blaine to feel guilty either. He knew there was still a part of Blaine that blamed himself for what happened between him and Hunter even though it was entirely Sebastian's fault, and the last thing he wanted was for Blaine to do something stupid like try and talk to Hunter for him. That never ended well.

Sebastian breathed deeply and set his script down. He held his left wrist with his right hand, his fingers grazing the leather cuff before removing it. He inhaled sharply and then laughed almost manically when he saw that Hunter's name had not faded. He had been terrified that it would start to, especially after Hunter's email. There were even moments in the past year when he was sure that it had lost some of its color. But as he stared at Hunter's name and realized that it hadn't changed at all, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. He knew he needed to stop worrying about Hunter and for the time being he would. But he loved Hunter. Truly and deeply. While the ache in his heart had numbed, the love had not and he decided to hold onto it. He wasn't about to give up on them. Not yet.

It only took Blaine five minutes of silence before pulling out his notebook and guitar to write another song for Kurt. It wasn't necessarily a new song, but an older one that he could never get quite right. But sitting in Kurt's room seemed to inspire him more than ever so he let the words flow until the song was complete. Once he was satisfied with it, he headed downstairs to get something to eat. He lingered in the hallway for a moment as he passed the family portraits. He hadn't had the chance to look at them yet and as he walked past, he smiled adoringly at the photos of young Kurt with his mom. He didn't know too much about her because Kurt never really spoke of her, but it was clear that she loved him dearly.

Blaine made his way to the kitchen and pulled out what he needed for a sandwich, humming quietly as he made it. He put the mayonnaise back in the refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle before taking a seat at the island. Just as he took his first bite though, he heard the front door open then close and he froze. "Hello?" he called out cautiously.

A few seconds passed before Finn came into the kitchen. "Hey," he said with awkward smile.

Blaine relaxed and smiled. "Hey, Finn. What are you doing back? I thought you were working all day?"

Finn shrugged a little as he walked to the refrigerator to grab a soda. "Burt told me to come home. I don't think he wanted to leave you two alone for too long," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Yes well, he has nothing to worry about there," Blaine said with a sigh. "Santana came and picked Kurt up not too long ago. Apparently Sue called an emergency Cheerios practice."

Finn groaned to himself. "Great," he muttered sarcastically and Blaine raised a curious brow. "He's always really cranky after those," he elaborated.

Blaine nodded. "Good to know." Finn nodded with his eyes to the floor but said nothing and Blaine could feel the tension in the air. "Are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah, totally. I'm totallyâyou know what, no, I'm not alright," Finn replied and Blaine was surprised by how forceful his tone suddenly became. "We need to talk about what happened yesterday, with Rachel."

Blaine set his sandwich down and gave Finn his full attention. He knew what happened with Rachel had gotten out of hand and he was glad to clear the air. "I'm really sorry about that," he started but Finn cut him off.

"You should be," Finn said, surprised by the anger in his voice. He took a breath and tempered his tone. "I get that Rachel shouldn't have barged in on you guys like that but what you said to her wasn't cool, man. She looks up to you and you made her cry, and that's my girlfriend, probably my soulmate, and I don't like how you treated her."

"You're right," Blaine spoke softly in hopes to calm Finn down. "I should never have said anything to her about your Glee club. It wasn't my place and even though she did step over the line with Kurt, it did not give me the right to speak to her the way I did. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings and for that I am truly sorry," he said sincerely.

"Wellâgood," Finn said with a nod. "You're going to have to do something to make it up to her though cause she was really upset and when she's upset, she takes it out on me."

"I will make it up to her, I promise," Blaine assured him.

"Alright, cool." Finn held his fist up and Blaine pounded it with his own. Finn smiled with relief. "This talk went better than I thought. I was worried I'd have to like, kick your ass and I didn't wanna do that." Blaine raised an amused brow. "Cause I mean, you may be older but I'm the quarterback," he said proudly.

Blaine decided not to tell Finn that he was a skilled boxer and nodded with a small smile. "I'm grateful that we could come to an understanding. Violence is never the answer to anything."

"I know," Finn said quickly. "It's not like I wanted to kick your ass. It's just, you know, Rachel's the love of my life. I gotta defend my girl."

"I completely understand," Blaine smiled, recalling his own need to protect Kurt from any and all harm.

"Cool. Well I'm gonna go play some video games. You wanna join?"

"I appreciate the offer but I'm going to pass."

Finn shrugged. "Alright. Later bro," he said with a nod and left Blaine alone in the kitchen.

Kurt slammed Santana's car door behind him late that evening, not at all giving a shit about her yelling at him for it, and dragged his feet to the front door. He was beyond exhausted. Not only had Sue forced them to run their original routine a dozen times before criticizing every single move, but she then demanded that he and Quinn come up with new moves for one section while Britt and Santana did the same for another before they inevitably merged the dances together. The rest of the Cheerios were made to run laps, according to Sue, to build their stamina. But they all knew it was because Sue got off on torturing them.

They also knew her reasoning behind pairing Santana and Britt together had less to do with the fact that they always worked out the best moves, and more to do with the fact that they hadn't spoken unless necessary for months. The truth was, he could bitch about Sue all he wanted but she truly cared for her girls and her team, and she knew that if Santana and Britt weren't connecting teammate wise, they were going to lose the championship. Kurt didn't miss the longing look in Quinn's eyes as they came up with their own dance moves either. He was starting to wonder just how deep her crush on Santana was and if Santana was as oblivious as she played off.

He kicked his shoes off at the front door and made his way upstairs, grunting to his father that he didn't need to eat because he stuffed his face with the biggest hamburger known to man as soon as practice was over, simply because he knew Sue would be pissed. He briefly wondered how Blaine got along with his family for dinner without him and it reminded him that Blaine was upstairs waiting for him, putting an extra pep in his step. How had he forgotten? He had even text Blaine to let him know he was on his way home. He must be more tired than he thought. He hurried to his room and breathed in relief when he saw Blaine sitting against his headboard watching TV. Blaine smiled at him and instantly got up, pulling him into an embrace before walking towards the bathroom.

"Finn mentioned you'd be really tired so I drew you a warm bath," Blaine said huskily into his ear.

Kurt hummed, his fingers intertwining with Blaine's curls. "Wanna join me?"

Blaine chuckled and stopped them at the bathroom door. "As sexy as that sounds, you've had a long day and I don't think taking a bath together is going to relax you." Kurt pouted a little and Blaine pecked his lips. "Go relax in the tub. Take your time. I'll be right here when you get out." Kurt nodded with an appreciative sigh. "And don't put your shirt on when you come out. I'm going to give you a back rub."

"Blaine, you don't have to-"

Blaine cut him off with a kiss. "I want to. Let me do this for you."

Kurt melted at Blaine's puppy eyes. "You're going to spoil me," he said as he reached for his pajama bottoms and grabbed a pair of boxer briefs.

"That's my plan," Blaine said with such a wide grin that Kurt couldn't stop the small giggle even if tried. "Go on, before the water gets cold." Kurt kissed Blaine's cheek as a thank you and walked into his bathroom.

Kurt spent a good hour soaking in the tub, partly because the water and bath oils Blaine used were so calming, but mostly because he wanted to waste time. As soon as he was fully emerged in the bathtub, the hard on from earlier came back with a vengeance. He didn't stop himself from allowing his thoughts to wander to the endless fantasies he had about Blaine and he stroked his cock gently, imagining that it was Blaine's hand instead of his own. But he didn't cum. That would be saved for Blaine's doing and that was why he stalled. He wanted to make sure that his family was in bed by the time he got out.

He opened his bathroom door and leaned on the doorway in nothing but his boxer briefs. He thought about putting his pajama pants on but decided against it, his adrenaline from earlier giving him the courage to be so bold. "Hey there," he said lowly.

Blaine's head shot up from his tablet and his jaw dropped, eyes scanning Kurt's body. "Kurt? What are you doing?" He asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

Kurt walked over to the bed with a look in his eyes that made Blaine's cock spring to life. Kurt suddenly felt like he was the one on the prowl and Blaine was his prey. "You said to leave my shirt off," he said innocently though his eyes sparkled with mischievousness.

Blaine reached out for him as he kneeled on the bed. "Yes, but I thought you'd have pants on," he said with a small laugh as his fingers trailed down Kurt's toned frame.

"Pants. Boxers. Same difference." Kurt attached his lips to Blaine's in a searing kiss but Blaine pulled away, holding back his arousal. "What? What's wrong?"

"Kurt, my love," Blaine said, cupping Kurt's face and kissing him gently. "Please put some pants on."

"Why?" Kurt asked with a pout.

"Because you are irresistible," Blaine said with a small moan. "And I really think we need to slow down a little. Being here with you has been amazing, but I don't want to take things too far. We have plenty of time to experience things together."

Kurt rolled his eyes and got off his bed. "Right, this coming from the same man that tried to fuck me against the wall this morning," he said sarcastically.

"That is because you seduced me and you know it," Blaine argued though a smirk played at his lips. "Just like you're trying to seduce me now and I'm not falling for it."

"You sure about that?" Kurt said sultrily.

Blaine gave him a look that clearly said how serious he was. "Kurt."

"Ugh, fine." Kurt walked back into his bathroom and grabbed his pajama pants. "This back massage better be epic, mister," he said as he slipped his pants on.

"It will be," Blaine said softly with an amused smile. "Please lie down."

Kurt huffed again and laid down on his stomach, folding his arms underneath his chin. As soon as his body started to relax into the blankets, Kurt's exhaustion caught up to him. Blaine grabbed a bottle of lotion from the bedside table and kneeled on the bed next to Kurt. "It's just as well that we don't fool around. I'm so tired," he mumbled through a yawn.

"I know you are, love." Blaine poured some lotion on his hands and rubbed them together. "How was practice?" he asked as he started rubbing Kurt's back.

"Mm, that feels so good," Kurt moaned, his body melting at Blaine's touch. Blaine smirked and kneaded Kurt's back muscles. "Practice was awful. Sue killed us."

"Did you fix your routine?"

"Mhm," Kurt nodded. "A little to the left, oh right there." Blaine chuckled, leaning down to kiss Kurt's back as he continued to rub. "How was your day? How was dinner with my family?"

"Not bad. We talked about the Buckeye's."

Kurt scoffed. "Figures you'd talk about football."

"I really missed you though," Blaine said softly with a kiss on the back of Kurt's neck.

Kurt pouted a little. "I really missed you too." He turned his head to the side to look at Blaine. "Tomorrow we are doing nothing but staying cuddled up in bed. Deal?"

Tomorrow. Blaine leaves tomorrow and the sudden realization made both their hearts ache. Blaine leaned in and kissed Kurt's lips sweetly. "Deal," he promised.

Kurt shut his eyes and took a deep breath as Blaine continued to work through his tense muscles. He hummed a song Kurt didn't recognize but it was pretty and between Blaine's gentle touch, his long day, and Blaine's smoothing vocals, he was soon fast asleep.

Kurt woke up curled against Blaine's body early Sunday morning, his back pressed against Blaine's bare chest. He smiled to himself, bringing their intertwined hands to his lips to kiss gently. Nothing in the world could compare to waking up wrapped in Blaine's embrace. Their bodies fit snug together like puzzle pieces and Kurt never wanted to leave Blaine's arms. He closed his eyes and breathed out a hum, allowing himself to drift back to sleep for only a moment before forcing himself awake. It was Blaine's last day and while the plan was to stay in bed, they were not going to waste it away by sleeping. He carefully turned around in Blaine's arms, pecked Blaine's lips softly, before slowly getting out of bed. Blaine instinctively reached out for him and Kurt bit back a laugh at the pout on Blaine's lips when he didn't find him.

"Kurt?" Blaine called out, his eyes still closed, his voice gruff with sleep.

Kurt leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'm right here. I'm going to make us breakfast. Keep sleeping. I'll be right back."

Blaine smiled a little and nodded. "Mk. Love you."

"Love you too," Kurt whispered back. He grabbed a shirt from his dresser and slipped it on before heading downstairs.

About thirty minutes later, Kurt walked back into his room with a tray full of food. He made them scrambled eggs with bacon, French toast, and blueberry pancakes. He also cut up some strawberries and brought Blaine the choice of either orange juice or coffee. He set the tray down on his bedside table before turning to look at Blaine. Kurt shook his head and sighed, a smirk on his lips. Blaine had moved so that he was lying on his stomach and cuddled with Kurt's pillow as if it was his lifeline, his legs sprawled out over the blankets. Kurt reached for his hair and pushed away a few curls before deciding to take a picture. Blaine was entirely too adorable for his own good. He thought about tweeting it for the fans but decided against it. Some things were meant to be his and his alone, and the image of Blaine asleep on his bed was one of them. He took a seat on his bed before leaning forward and kissing Blaine's cheek.

"Wake up Sleeping Beauty," he said quietly. "I love you but you're drooling on my pillow," he teased. Blaine made no movement though. Kurt grabbed his coffee mug and brought it close to Blaine's face. "Baby, wake up." He blushed a little at his use of the term of endearment. "I have coffee for you."

That woke Blaine up. "Mm, coffee," he mumbled as he tried to reach for the mug.

Kurt pulled it away though. "Nu uh, mister. Get up first. I'm not about to have you spill this on my sheets."

A minute or so passed before Blaine finally opened his eyes. "Good morning, beautiful," he said with a half-smile, reaching up to Kurt's face to caress his cheek.

Kurt leaned into the touch before turning his face and kissing the inside of Blaine's hand. "Come on, sit up. The food's going to get cold." Blaine stretched his body with a groan before sitting up and holding his hand out to Kurt with a pout. Kurt rolled his eyes playfully and handed him his coffee. "I also brought some orange juice if you want."

Blaine hummed in appreciation as he took a sip. "Coffee first." He looked over at Kurt's spread and smiled. "You're going to spoil me," he teased.

Kurt reached for his own cup of coffee with a wide grin. "That's my plan."

Santana sat in her car and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She was parked outside of Brittany's house trying to muster up the courage to talk to her. Working with her on the new dance moves wasn't as bad as she originally thought and it made her realize how much she missed Brittany as a friend. But a part of her still hurt over what happened and she hated it. She knew that she needed to let go and until they talked, really talked, she wouldn't be able to move on. Her birthday was in three weeks. It was time. With a shaky breath, she pulled her keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car. She walked up the driveway slowly, prolonging the inevitable as long as she could. But all too soon she was at the front door with two choices, knock or run back to her car. Before she could do either though, the door opened to reveal Sam with bedhead and still in pajamas.

Sam took a step back in surprise when he saw her but quickly shifted to defensiveness. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I," Santana stammered, completely caught off guard by Sam's presence.

"Sam, did you get the paper? Lord Tubbington needs the comics before using the bathroom." Santana heard Brittany call out. Brittany appeared behind Sam and her eyes landed on Santana. "San?"

"Hi," Santana said quietly, regretting her decision to show up unannounced.

"What are you doing here, Santana?" Sam asked again with more force and it snapped Santana out of her daze.

"Relax, Trouty," she said with an aggravated huff. "I just want to talk to Britt. I swear I'm not here to start trouble."

Sam wanted to protest but Brittany's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Would you like to come in?" Brittany asked her, gently pushing Sam aside.

"Yeah, thanks," Santana muttered as she stepped inside the house. "Can we talk for a moment, alone?" she asked with a glance at Sam.

Brittany nodded and turned to Sam with pleading eyes. "Sam, can you go to the store for me and get me that pomegranate juice that I like? Lord Tubbington finished the rest last night." Sam glanced back and forth between the two girls before nodding. He pecked Brittany's cheek, grabbed his keys and jacket and left with a warning glance at Santana.

Santana raised a brow. "Did he just leave without shoes? It's cold as hell outside."

"He leaves his shoes in the car," Brittany answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Do you want to talk in my room?"

"No," Santana answered quickly. The thought of going into Brittany's room where Sam had taken her place made her stomach churn. "The living room is fine." Brittany nodded with a small smile and led the way. "Where are your parents?"

"In Istanbul. Or at least that's what they told me. I never believe them. I don't think it's safe for me to know where they really are." According to Brittany, her parents were international spies. Santana never knew if it was true or not but the one time she had met them made her think that it might actually be. Brittany took a seat on the couch and Santana sat with her on the opposite end. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked quietly.

"I uh, well, you see." Santana closed her eyes and took a breath. "I wanted to say I'm sorry," she rambled out. "I've been a bitch to you and to Sam and I know that it's not your fault. I know that Sam was meant to be your soulmate, not me, and I never should have said those things to you."

"San-"

"Let me finish," Santana cut her off. "I was wrong. I was angry and bitter and hurt and none of that excuses my behavior." As Santana finally got her words out, the black hole surrounding her heart started to slowly disappear. "The things I said to you, how I've treated you, is completely inexcusable. We were best friends Britt; you, me, Q, and Kurt. We were His Royal Highness and The Unholy Trinity and I broke that. I broke us apart and forced people to choose sides and I'm sorry. I really am. I hope you can forgive me."

Brittany scooted over to Santana and grabbed hold of her hands. "There's nothing to forgive because I forgave you a long time ago."

"Britt-"

"You got to talk so let me," Brittany interrupted. Santana took a breath and nodded. "I understand why you reacted the way you did and yeah it sucked, but I never held it against you. How could I? We didn't ask for this, it just happened." Santana looked away to hide the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry too. I wasn't honest with you."

"What do you mean?"

"IâI knew, deep down that you weren't meant to be mine." Santana looked up questioningly and Brittany continued with her eyes to the floor. "I wanted it to be you so I ignored the feeling butâI knew it wasn't. I didn't know it'd be Sam, but I knew it wasn't you and I should've told you."

A tear streamed down Brittany's cheek and Santana wiped it away. "Don't cry, Britt. Unicorns die when you cry, remember?"

Brittany nodded and wiped her eyes. "Do youâdo you think you could ever forgive me? For not telling you? Do you think we could ever be friends again? I've missed you," she said with a hopeful smile.

"Of course I forgive you," Santana told her though she felt like there was nothing that needed forgiving. Had she been in Brittany's position, she would've done the same thing. "I would love to be friends again. I've really missed you too."

Brittany bounced in her seat happily and Santana could only laugh. That was what she missed most about having Brittany around. Her youthful spirit and high energy never ceased to bring a smile to Santana's face. Nick and Jeff were right. Talking to Brittany was exactly what she needed. Now she just had to figure out what to do about Quinn.

After eating breakfast, Kurt helped Blaine pack his suitcase so they wouldn't have to do it later and then curled up in bed with the TV on. That was where they stayed the rest of the day, only getting up to use the restroom. Carole brought them lunch and they ate together in Kurt's bed, leaving the dishes on his bedside table for later. They didn't talk much, but simply enjoyed being in each other's arms while they still had the chance. As the evening drew near, they took all the dirty dishes to the kitchen and had a light dinner before ascending back to Kurt's room. Neither one looked at the clock or answered their phones with the exception of when Eric called Blaine to confirm his flight details. After that conversation, the desperation to stay together became too much to resist and Blaine pulled Kurt into his arms, kissing him fervently. They didn't do more than make-out for a while, but their bodies were lit with a fire that made them both quiver.

Needing to know exactly how much time they had left, Kurt finally detached himself from Blaine's grasp and checked the time on his phone. Blaine sat up in the bed and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist from behind, kissing the back of his neck lightly. "Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked quietly. They only had a couple of hours left. One movie and then Blaine would be back on the road.

Kurt smiled softly and nodded. "Sure. Let's see what's on TV."

Kurt grabbed the remote as Blaine propped the pillows on the headboard and leaned against them. Kurt settled in-between Blaine's legs and Blaine wrapped his arms around his torso. Kurt leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder and sighed before turning the volume up on the TV and surfing the channels. He turned to the Lifetime Network and gasped.

"Is thatâthat's Sebastian!"

Blaine, who had been watching Kurt, looked up at the TV and nodded. "Mhm. This was Seb's very first movie."

Kurt turned to him with confusion. "No it wasn't. The serial killer one was."

"Look at him, Kurt," Blaine said with a nod towards the TV. "Look at how young he is." Kurt turned to the TV and nodded slowly. "He filmed this like, right after high school. Not the Boy Next Door was his first big name film but not his first movie. I don't think many people actually know that though."

"Oh. Is it any good?"

"Mhm. It just started too. Let's watch this," Blaine suggested and not because he wanted to watch the movie, but because he wanted Kurt to stay still in his arms.

"Ok, this is fine," Kurt said as he set the remote down and settled into Blaine's embrace.

Kurt watched the movie intently while Blaine watched his every expression, counted every freckle. He was going to miss the hell out of Kurt but there was a part of him that was glad to be leaving. He loved to perform and being on the road, and their relationship still needed to grow. That wasn't going to happen correctly if they stayed together and constantly ended up fooling around.

"This bitch is fucking crazy," Kurt said at one point and Blaine chuckled, his fingers lightly trailing up and down Kurt's arm.

"Seb said she's a total sweetheart in real life," Blaine told him.

Kurt scoffed with a smirk. "She's doing a hell of job being psycho."

They didn't say anything else for the rest of the movie and by the time it ended, Kurt's respect for Sebastian's acting ability had grown. Kurt reached for the remote and turned the TV off before turning in Blaine arms to cuddle against his chest. Blaine kissed the top of his forehead and held him close. The next several minutes passed in absolute silence. Blaine had thought that Kurt had fallen asleep against him but then he spoke just above a whisper and said something Blaine hadn't been expecting.

"My mom used to call me her lucky charm." Blaine looked down as Kurt looked up and caught his sad gaze. "When I was little, she used to say that I was her good luck charm."

"Really?"

"Mhm," Kurt nodded with a soft smile. "I've been meaning to tell you but it never came up. She um, she was sick her entire life. A few weeks before her 18th birthday the doctors told she wouldn't make it to then. She had all but given up at that point. But she did make it and she met my dad just a few days after her birthday. He was a couple of years older and she decided to tell him how sick she was, how she was dying." Blaine's heart broke as Kurt spoke of his mother, the pain in his voice clear as day.

"But she didn't die, not yet anyway."

"No, not yet. I think it was because they bonded," Kurt told him, resting his head down on Blaine's chest. "Dad told me that she tried to convince him to let her go but he had already fallen in love with her and he wanted to be with her even though he knew the ending. Mom called him a stubborn fool," he said with a light laugh. "Which he totally is. But yeah, they bonded and she got better. Dad said she was doing really well for a while but then she started getting sick again. She was told again, that her time was limited and that she should get her affairs in order. So she did. But then...then she got pregnant with me."

Blaine smiled to himself. "And you gave her new life," he concluded.

Kurt nodded against him. "Yeah. That's why I was her good luck charm. Because I gave her more time." Kurt looked up at Blaine with tear filled eyes. "When you tweeted about me, called me your good luck charm, I cried so much. I couldn't believe you remembered me. I couldn't believe that you thought I brought you any luck when I've felt so unlucky for so long."

Blaine leaned in and kissed Kurt tenderly, cupping his face and putting forth all of his passion and devotion. "You are my good luck charm," Blaine whispered against his lips. "And you were your mothers. I'm going to have to thank her one day for bringing you to me."

Kurt kissed Blaine back, a single tear streaming down his cheek. "I love you, so much."

"I love you, too."

Burt stood by Kurt's doorway and overheard him tell Blaine the story of his late wife, his first love, and it ached the same way it always did when he thought of her. But what hurt more was what he was about to do. Blaine's driver was there to take him to the airport which meant he had to tear his son away from his beloved. He could already hear the tears. Reluctantly, he raised his hand to the door and knocked.

"Blaine, your driver's here," Burt said apologetically.

Burt could practically hear his son's heart break. "I'll be right down," Blaine replied with a small smile. He turned back to Kurt who was already crying. "Hey now, this isn't goodbye. It's just, see you later."

"I know. I'm ok," Kurt said shakily. "Come on."

Kurt got out of Blaine's arms and off his bed. "Love?" Kurt turned to look at Blaine. "Sit down for a minute. I want to give you something before I go." Kurt took a seat, watching Blaine curiously as he walked to his luggage and pulled out his wallet. "I want you to have this," he said as he handed Kurt his black platinum card.

Kurt took it with wide eyes. "Blaine, I can't accept this," he said tentatively.

Blaine sat next to Kurt and took his hands on his own. "Yes you can. I want you to. You don't have to use it if you don't feel comfortable, but at least keep it for emergencies."

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked needing him to be certain. "This is a huge responsibility, Blaine."

"I know it is. I trust you, Kurt. Take the card. Use it, don't use it. It's entirely up to you. But please, take it. I'll feel better knowing that you have it." Blaine brought Kurt's hands to his lips and kissed them gently, his eyes soft and pleading.

Kurt smiled a little and nodded. "Ok, I'll take it."

"Thank you." Blaine took a deep breath and stood up, bringing Kurt with him. "Come on. We need to get downstairs."

They held each other tightly by the doorway, neither willing to let go just yet. Blaine's driver walked in from taking his luggage to the car and was waiting as patiently as he could for them to finish their goodbyes. But as the clocked ticked away, he grew impatient. If they didn't leave soon Blaine was going to miss his flight. Or well, he wouldn't miss the flight. It was private jet so it would wait all night for Blaine if need be. But if they didn't keep Eric's schedule, it would be Donny's ass on the line.

"Blaine, we have to go," Donny said with a firmness that let Blaine know it wasn't up for discussion.

"I need to go," Blaine said as he pulled away from Kurt. He cupped Kurt's face and kissed him one last time. "I'll see you soon. I love you, always and forever."

Kurt leaned his forehead on Blaine's and rubbed their noses together. "I love you, always and forever." They finally parted, their hands intertwined. "Have a safe flight."

"I'll call you when I land," Blaine promised, kissing Kurt's fingers before finally letting go.

Kurt stood in the doorway and watched his heart drive away. When the car lights were no longer in view, he closed the front door and walked into the kitchen where his father was waiting for him.

"He's gone," Kurt said just above a whisper as he took a seat at the island.

Burt pursed his lips before grabbing two spoons and the pint of ice cream in the freezer, and set it front of Kurt. He handed Kurt a spoon with an encouraging smile. "He'll be back." Kurt nodded but said nothing, digging his spoon into the tub and getting a large scoop of ice cream. Burt followed suit, his eyes firmly on the son he watched grow over night. "I'm really proud of you, son."

Kurt raised a confused brow. "Why? What did I do?"

"It's not what you did, but what you didn't do," Burt told him. "I'll be honest here, I was sure you two would bond over the weekend. But you didn't. You proved that you're strong enough to handle this and I'm really proud of you for that." Kurt smiled softly. He was proud of himself too. "If you two can go an entire weekend under the same roof, in the same bed, and not bond, then you can handle being apart while he's on tour and you're in school. Just hang in there."

Kurt ate one final scoop of ice cream and set his spoon down before giving his dad a hug. "Thanks, Dad. I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight."

Burt hugged his son tightly. His late wife would've been overwhelmingly proud of the man Kurt was becoming. "Goodnight, bud."

A/N: Shoutout to UConnHusky90 for Seb's thriller movie title. In the movie, Seb's character is this charming, well known and loved young man in town but really he's a psychotic murderer, thus Not the Boy Next Door. The Lifetime movie mentioned is Grant's movie, A Mother's Nightmare, which is a phenomenal movie.

Don't forget to check out Boys of Dalton. The first one is Niff but I will end up writing about the Warbler boys as well, including Seb and Hunter.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time. :)

Shifting

A/N: Hello my beautiful, wonderful readers. I can never thank you enough for the love and support. This story would be nothing without you.

There isn't a lot of Klaine interaction this chapter and for that I'm sorry. It's simply because they didn't have the chance to interact a lot. I will be going on a short hiatus after this chapter, three weeks at most. I'll be back though, I promise. :)

Quick FYI, The Warblers' private jet picked up Blaine first and then flew to LA to pick up Wes and David. Wes' wife is portrayed by Kristin Kruek and David's wife is portrayed by Jurnee Smollett.

MuseInMe3, thank you for always being such an amazing help.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

The transference of emotions between soulmates is a rare experience. It is most likely to occur in soulmates who are separated shortly after meeting and struggle to build their foundation. It is said that these souls, who struggle the greatest and experience the emotional transfer, will ultimately have a stronger connection than most. In order for that to happen, they must fight harder, break down more walls, and hurt more. Their love is a true challenge but if they succeed, they will become unbreakable.

Excerpt from: What it means to Bond

Chapter: Understanding of the Soul

Wes triple checked that he had everything he needed before turning to Vanessa with a sad smile. Vanessa returned the smile though it was forced. The weekend had passed far too quickly for her liking and now she had to watch Wes leave again. With as many goodbyes as they've shared, she thought she'd be used to it by now. But it only got worse every time. Wes sighed, stepping closer to his wife and signing as he spoke. "I have to go."

"I know," Vanessa signed. "Text me when you land?"

"Of course," Wes replied before pulling her into his arms and kissing her lightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Wes turned to grab his luggage but turned back around when Vanessa grabbed his bicep. "I think it's time we start our family."

Wes' eyes went wide. "What? Now?" he asked with panic and mild confusion.

Vanessa laughed softly and shook her head. "No, silly. When you get back. I saw the way you doted on Katherine yesterday. I know you have baby fever and I know you've been waiting for me to be ready. Well, I'm ready."

Wes smiled brightly and excitement suddenly coursed through him. "Yeah?"

Vanessa nodded with a smile. "Yeah. So go on, be a pop star and stay safe. When the tour is done, we'll start trying." Wes let out a jovial laugh, pulling Vanessa into his arms and picking her up to spin. She held on tight and giggled into the crook of his neck. He set her down gently and kissed her lips. Vanessa kissed him back for only a moment before pushing him away. "Go on, get out of here," she smiled encouragingly. Wes gave her one more peck to the lips before heading out. He couldn't wait to tell the guys.

"Alright, make sure you lock the door behind me and don't forget to turn on the alarm as soon as I'm gone."

"David."

"There's more than enough food in the fridge so you should be good on that for a while."

"David."

"If you do have to go out and get something though, make sure to take Vanessa with you. That girl whoops more ass than the five of us combined."

"David."

"Don't hesitate to call me if you need me. Eric's got my phone during the concerts so if there's an emergency, please call me."

"DAVID!"

David finally stopped his ranting and pacing and turned to look at Katherine. His shoulders slumped at the look on her face. "I'm being overbearing again, aren't I?"

"You're not being overbearing," Katherine said gently though a smirk played at her lips. "Obnoxiously adorable? Definitely. But never overbearing."

David breathed out and walked to her, grabbing hold of her hands to hold in his own. "I'm sorry babe. I'm just being overprotective."

"You're fine," she assured him, holding back a laugh at David's pout. "You are going to be late if you don't go, though."

"I know, I know," David said with a quick glance at the clock. He dropped to his knees and kissed Katherine's belly. "Now, listen here Elena," he froze as soon as the name slipped out but then looked up at his wife. "Elena?"

Katherine thought it over for a moment before nodding her approval. It wasn't one of their original choices but it fit perfectly. "Elena Marie."

David grinned from ear to ear and turned his attention back to Katherine's belly. "Listen here Elena Marie, you take care of Mommy while Daddy's gone, alright? Make sure she eats the good stuff I got her, not that nasty processed crap," Katherine rolled her eyes as David continued. "And be a good girl. No making her sick or rushing her to the hospital. You wait in there until Daddy comes home. I love you baby girl," David kissed her belly once more before standing and kissing Katherine. "And I love you too. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon. Love you," Katherine said with a peck on his lips. They hugged goodbye and she walked him to the door, locking it behind him and turning on the alarm. With a relieved sigh, Katherine walked into their kitchen to make herself some Taquitos. She rubbed her belly with a smirk. "Let's keep this between you and me," she whispered as if David would walk in at any moment. She loved her husband dearly but he was out of his mind if he thought she was giving up her Taquitos.

"Ma boys!" David shouted as he entered the private jet. Wes and Blaine looked up and smiled. "Man I missed your faces!"

"Wish I could say the same but I kinda saw you yesterday," Wes teased as they slapped their hands in greeting.

"Yeah man, sorry but I was a little too busy with Kurt to think about you," Blaine smirked as David patted his shoulder and took a seat next to him.

"Haters," David muttered with a shake of his head. "Yo, when we taking off?" he shouted to the pilot who had the cockpit door open.

"Five minutes," the pilot shouted back.

David quickly pulled out his cell phone. "Get your ass over here, Wesley," Wes rolled his eyes but walked over to him nonetheless. "Alright boys, pout with me." All three men did their very best pouts and David took a picture. "Alright now smile, nice and big!" They all smiled goofily and David took the picture. Wes took his seat again and sighed happily. "What are you smiling at over there?" David asked as he tweeted their first picture.

"Vanessa wants to have a baby," Wes replied with biggest grin Blaine and David had ever seen. "When the tour's done, she wants to start trying."

"That's amazing, Wes. Congrats man," Blaine said, reaching over the aisle to high five him.

"That's awesome, dude," David replied as he tweeted the next picture. "Now Elena Marie can have someone to play with."

"Awe yay, you picked a name," Blaine said happily.

"What happened to Chelsea Aliyah?" Wes asked confused. "I thought Kat was dead set on that."

David shrugged a little. "She wasn't dead set on it but she really liked it. But when I was heading out, I accidently called the baby Elena and, I don't know, it just fit. She came up with Marie."

"I'm so happy for you guys," Blaine smiled at them. "Who would've thought that you two would be parents," he teased.

"Man, whatever," David scoffed with an elbow to Blaine's gut. "I'm going to be an awesome dad. Now what good news do you have?" he smirked.

"Yeah Anderson," Wes said with a laugh. "I've been dying to ask since I got on. I know that look, that extra special sparkle in your eyes. You're holding out on us."

Blaine bit his lip, a light blush creeping up his cheeks. "Kurt and I have decided to go public during Christmas break."

"Dude!" David exclaimed. "Seriously?"

"What happened to waiting until he graduated?" Wes asked as Donny entered the plane.

"Buckle up, shut devices down. We're taking off."

The guys did as they were told. "Well," Blaine started, running his hands through his hair. "I honestly don't think we're going to make it. People are starting to put two and two together and the fans are starting to get restless."

"So does that mean you two are gonna-"

Blaine held up his hand and cut David off. "I wouldn't say that just yet. We still have a lot of growing to do. But...you never know," he smiled softly, his fingers playing with his cuff.

David and Wes smiled brightly at each other, Wes reaching over the aisle to pat Blaine's arm. "We're happy for you man."

"Christmas is gonna be epic this year," David said as he rested his head back on the seat and closed his eyes. Blaine smiled to himself, his thumb tucked inside his cuff caressing Kurt's name. He certainly hoped so.

Kurt was surprised he slept as well as he had. He had been so spoiled the last few days, falling asleep and waking up in Blaine's embrace, that he was prepared to fight for his sleep. But as soon as his head hit the pillow and he breathed in Blaine's lingering scent, he was out for the night. It did hurt to wake up alone though. His heart and soul ached for the comfort of his love and he knew he was in for a long day. He reached for his phone to text Blaine only to see that it was lit up with messages.

WarblerDavid : *WarblerBlaine *WarblerWes Missing our babies already. [picture] *KatThompson *HisLuckyCharm *VanessaMont

WarblerDavid : *WarblerBlaine *WarblerWes But man we cannot wait to see our boys! *WarblerNick *WarblerJeff [picture]

VanessaMont : *WarblerDavid *WarblerBlaine *WarblerWes *HisLuckyCharm Missing you too!

KatThompson : *WarblerDavid *WarblerBlaine *WarblerWes *VanessaMont *HisLuckyCharm Yeah I guess I miss you. ;p

WarblerJeff : *WarblerNick *WarblerDavid *WarblerBlaine *WarblerWes YEAH BOI!

Kurt laughed at the messages. It had been past midnight when David tweeted and as he read through his timeline to see the rest of the tweets he wasn't mentioned in, he wished he had been awake for it. He would've gladly joined in on the fun. With a quick reply to David's tweets, saying that he missed Blaine too and calling them goofballs, he got out of bed and started getting ready for school.

Quinn paced the Cheerios' bathroom impatiently. Santana had demanded that she show up to school early and was now stuck in there waiting for her. Whatever Santana had to talk to her about must've been important if she was willing to come to school this early.

"Tana, you're going to rip my damn arm off!"

Quinn turned towards the door at the sound of Kurt's voice. "Fucking finally," she whined. "Took you long enough."

Santana all but threw Kurt towards Quinn. "I gots something to say and you two gotta listen," Quinn rolled her eyes and set her hands on her hips while Kurt crossed his arms. "Britt and I are cool now. I talked to her about everything yesterday and cleared the air. So no more sending her dirty looks," she said directly to Quinn, "and no more ignoring her," she said to Kurt. "We're done with the bullshit."

"Oh, are we now? Are we supposed to go back to being bff's again?" Quinn asked sarcastically, jealousy suddenly coursing through her.

Santana rolled her eyes. She knew Quinn would be the one to question it. "Don't be such a bitch Q," she snapped angrier than she intended.

"This coming from the Queen Bitch herself," Quinn scoffed, crossing her arms defiantly. "What about all the crap you went through these past few months? All the shit Sam said about you? The way Britt acted like she didn't care how badly she hurt you? We're just supposed to forgive her? Just like that?" Quinn knew she was overreacting but she couldn't help it. The thought of being pushed to the side for Brittany after finally getting Santana to herself made her blood boil.

"All that shit was my fault, not hers," Santana shouted, shocked by the pure anger in Quinn's voice, her heart hurting at the betrayed look on Quinn's face.

"Yeah, your shit that you dragged us into and now we're all supposed to be honky fucking dory? Like we haven't been dealing with your crap for the last three months?" Quinn yelled, her voice cracking in the end.

Kurt took a mental step back because, whoa. What exactly was happening here? Why was Quinn getting so angry and why did Santana look like she was about to cry?

"You know what, screw you Fabray," Santana said through gritted teeth and stomped out of the bathroom.

Quinn kicked the bathroom stall with a grunt. "Can you fucking believe her?" she asked Kurt, not waiting for him to answer. "Well she can get the fuck over it for all I care. I'm done."

Kurt watched Quinn storm out of the bathroom with confusion. Why had she gotten so angry? He could hear the jealousy in her voice but Brittany was Sam's. Why would it bother her so much that Santana and Brittany were friends again? He thought that was a good thing, a great thing even. He didn't expect them to become the best of friends like they were before but he hadn't expected Quinn to snap so intensely either. Kurt gasped as realization hit him. Quinn's in love with Tana! Not just crushing on her but straight up in love with her! How the hell had he not seen that before? And what about Santana? Why hadn't she fought back harder? The pain on her face was clear as day but it wasn't because of Brittany, it was because of Quinn. Was she as into Quinn as Quinn was into her? Kurt thought that her attraction to Quinn was purely sexual but now he wasn't so sure.

Kurt shook his head and took a breath. "It's way too early for this shit," he muttered to himself as he walked out of the bathroom. He made his way to his locker but stopped at the end of the hallway when he saw that Karofsky was waiting for him. "Fuck," he said under his breath.

He knew the months of nothing but a few disgruntled looks were too good to last. Just as he decided to turn around and walk away, Karofsky turned his way and the look on his face sent a chill down Kurt's spine. With all his courage and bitchiness in tow, Kurt walked up to the oversized jock.

"Did you lose your way, Neanderthal?"

Karofsky ignored his question and waited until Kurt reached him to talk. "I need to talk to you," he said calmly.

"I don't have time for this," Kurt snapped as he tried to push past his tormentor. Karofsky stood his ground though. "Move it, Karofsky."

"Please," Karofsky said so quietly that Kurt was sure he misheard. Karofsky pulled his hands out of his pocket, revealing his leather cuff. Kurt paled. With all the excitement that weekend he forgot that Karofsky was turning of age. "I need to talk to you," he said again and the slight quiver in his voice told Kurt everything he needed to know. "Privately." With a curt nod, Kurt headed down the hall with Karofsky close behind. Neither noticed Jacob Ben Israel hiding behind the corner with his camera nor did they notice him following them.

Kurt led them all the way to his car, knowing that it was the only place where they could talk in private. His mind was reeling. Was it possible that David Karofsky was actually gay? No, there was no way. Maybe his soulmate was Santana or Quinn, or maybe even Rachel. Yeah, that's it, he thought as he unlocked his car door. There's no way Karofsky's gay. There is just no freaking way.

Karofsky got into the passenger side and locked the door as if being locked inside would somehow save him from his truth. He fidgeted with his cuff but said nothing, not knowing where to start. He couldn't even look at Kurt whose eyes he could feel boring into him. What had he been thinking, coming to Kurt like this? Kurt hated him and Karofsky knew he had every right to. Why in the hell did he think it was a good idea to confide in the Cheerio?

Kurt could see the struggle on Karofsky's face, the uncertainty and fear, and he realized that Karofsky truly did need someone to talk to. He was both shocked and admittedly touched that Karofsky chose him.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me," Karofsky was surprised by the gentleness of Kurt's tone. "I'm not going to tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about."

Karofsky laughed humorlessly. "Right, like when you threatened to tell the whole school that I was gay?" he snarled though it lacked conviction.

"I would never actually do that," Kurt spoke quietly. "I'm not that cruel. I only said that because I was pissed and I wanted you to back off."

"It's true, ya know," Karofsky whispered. Kurt's heart dropped. "I am gay."

"Dave."

"That's why I hated you so damn much," Karofsky continued as tears formed in his eyes. "Because you were out and proud and I'm nothing but a scared little boy, just like you said."

"Dave," Kurt tried again but stopped, startled by the choked sob that suddenly escaped Karofsky. He sat and watched stunned as Karofsky broke down in front of him. What was he supposed to do?

"I'm sorry I was so mean to you," Dave muttered through his tears. Kurt took a quick look around the parking lot before turning back to Karofsky. "I was just so scared all the time and you were so proud and I was jealous and heâ" Dave trailed off, his hand playing with the cuff around his wrist. "He's going to hate me," he whispered.

"You don't know that," Kurt said, placing a comforting hand on Karofsky's arm.

Karofsky finally looked up at Kurt, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Why wouldn't he? I'm a bully, Kurt. And I'm fat and disgusting and stupid. How could he ever love me?"

"Because he's your soulmate, Dave. He's going to love you. You just have to give him, and yourself, the chance to," Kurt spoke gently. "And you're not fat or disgusting or stupid either. You're smarter than most of the football team, you're surprisingly well hygienic, and you're not bad looking."

"Why are you even being nice to me?" Dave questioned suspiciously. "You hate me."

"I don't hate you," Kurt said with an eye roll. "I hate the way you've treated me, but I don't hate you. I don't hate anyone. Well except JBI but he's a sniveling little rat so he doesn't count."

Karofsky chuckled and shook his head. He wiped his tears away, grunting in aggravation. "Why can't I stop crying?!"He asked more to himself. "I've cried more the past two days than I have my entire life!"

"It's your soul waking up, remember? We learned about it sophomore year," Kurt said with a smirk, pulling his hand away and sitting back.

Karofsky scoffed. "Like I remember any of that shit." They sat in silence for a moment and when Dave spoke again, it was nothing but a whisper. "I haven't told anyone else, not even my parents."

Kurt's heart went out to him. "Why did you tell me?"

Karofsky shrugged a little though he knew the answer. "Because I knew you'd understand," he looked up at Kurt with sad eyes. "Because I knew that I would never be able to look him in the eye if I didn't apologize to you for being so horrible."

"Do you know, who he is I mean?" Kurt wondered curiously.

"No," Karofsky shook his head. "His name's Adam. Adam J. Crawford." Kurt nodded but said nothing. "He sounds nice. I'm notâI'm not a nice person. I don'tâI don't know if I'll be good enough for him."

"It's never too late to be a nice person, Dave," Kurt said with an encouraging smile. "And you are good enough for him. Otherwise he wouldn't be yours."

Karofsky took a deep breath and nodded. He glanced at Kurt's cuff curiously. "Have you met him?"

Kurt followed Karofsky's line of vision and smiled. "Yeah, I have."

"What's it like? Finding him? Being with him?"

"It'sâextraordinary," Kurt replied with a small laugh. "I've never felt more loved than I do when I'm with him. He makes me feel so safe and so connected. It's pretty incredible."

"Must be nice," Karofsky muttered.

Kurt smiled sympathetically. "You'll find him when the time is right. Just hang in there. Figure out who you need to be as a person and don't give up hope. Never give up hope."

Karofsky offered him a small smile. "Thanks, for talking to me. This could've gone really bad but you've once again proven why you're a better person than me," he said with a humorless laugh though Kurt could see that he meant it.

"Let's be honest here, I'm better than everyone," Kurt replied with a light tease and Karofsky gave him a genuine smile. "We should go before people start looking for us."

Karofsky nodded, unlocking the door and opening it. A loud thump caught his attention as he quickly exited the car to find Jacob flat on his back with his hand on his head where the door smacked him. Jacob's camera was on the ground next to him still recording. Karofsky's anger flared and before he could realize what was happening, he was picking the camera off the ground and smashing it.

"NO!" Jacob shouted but it was too late.

Kurt hurried to the passenger side of his car. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He screeched at Jacob.

Before he could answer though, Karofsky was picking him up by the collar and pinning him against Kurt's car. "How much of that did you hear?!"

"Enough to know that you're a flaming homo," Jacob said smugly despite Karofsky's hold on him. "Enough to make it look like you and Lady Hummel are soulmates."

Karofsky pulled Jacob back and slammed him hard against the car. Kurt cringed. "Watch the car, Karofsky. That's my baby."

"Sorry, Hummel," Karofsky muttered as he tightened his grip on Jacob and lifted him off the ground. "We are not soulmates and even if we were it would be none of your damn business you little weasel," he gritted out with a shake and Jacob whimpered. "You tell anyone about what you heard and I swear to god I will pummel you so bad that your own parents won't be able to recognize you."

"Wouldn't that be a shame," Kurt drawled as he picked up the broken camera. He pulled out the film and began ripping it. "And if that's not enough incentive, please do remember that I have photographic proof of you jerking off in the school library to the one and only Miss Rachel Berry."

"You jerked off in the library? To Berry? Ew," Karofsky made a disgusted face though an evil smirk played at his lips. "At least have some decency and do it in the bathroom."

"You do remember who Rachel is dating right?" Kurt continued. "My brother, the quarterback. Yeah, he won't be too happy to find that out. I'm not a betting man but if I were, I'd say that whatever he does to you when he finds out will be so much worse than what Karofsky's gonna do."

"I don't know about that one, Hummel," Karofsky shook his head unsurely. "I just turned of age, ya know? I'm a little emotional these days. I'm not sure I'll be able to stop myself from beating the living crap out of him," he warned with another shake.

"Alright, alright!" Jacob shouted before the tears fell. "I won't say anything, I swear."

"You better not, Jacob Ben Israel," Kurt said in that eerily calm voice that always sent a chill down his spine. "Karofsky's going to put you down now and you will go back inside and forget everything you overheard. Understood?" Jacob nodded frantically and after another shake, Karofsky dropped him and he scurried off. Kurt turned to his former nemesis with a smile. "Well, that was fun."

Karofsky, however, didn't smile back. "You don't think he'll tell, do you?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't think so," Kurt shook his head. "But don't worry about it. I'm working on getting his blog taken down so that he never posts any of that shit ever again."

"How are you going to manage that?" Karofsky asked with a curious brow.

Kurt chuckled and brought his left hand up. "Let's just say I have friends in high places," he winked with a shake of his wrist.

"Right. Well umâfriends?" Karofsky held his hand out to Kurt, a nervous smile on his lips.

Kurt took his hand and shook it. "Friends."

Karofsky smiled, wide and true, and Kurt felt proud for being the one to put it there. "See ya, Hummel," Karofsky said with a nod and walked off.

Kurt waited until Karofsky was gone to pull out his cell phone and text Blaine.

From: Kurt Hummel

Call me when you can. We need to talk.

Kurt let out a breath of relief followed by a groan the moment he sat down in his father's office chair, folding his arms on the desk and resting his head on them. He was supposed to be changing into his overalls to work but he needed a moment to breathe. Today had to be one of the longest days of his entire life. Between the emotional roller coaster he went through with his girls and Karofsky, he was worn out. After texting Blaine, he had started to head back into the building only to turn around and sit in his car when Blaine called him right away. He ended up skipping first period and told Blaine what had happened. They then talked to Eric and set up their meetings with the SSAA. Whatever concern Kurt had over talking to them was gone. He wasn't just doing it for his and Blaine's privacy anymore, but for Karofsky's. Jacob Ben Israel was done tormenting the students of McKinley.

Kurt hoped the rest of his day would go smoothly but instead it was nothing but stressful. He was suddenly caught in-between Quinn and Santana's fight and he had no idea how to handle it. He forced Quinn to talk to him about why she was so upset and she broke down, admitting that her feelings for Santana were stronger that she let on and telling him how she felt like she was being pushed aside to make room for Brittany. She cried into his arms as she spilled her soul and told him how her rebellion earlier in the year had little to do with Beth and a lot to do with trying to get Santana's attention. Kurt hadn't said anything. He simply listened and held her close, not knowing what he could say to make it better. Santana had immediately noticed the looks between them during Cheerios practice and assumed that Kurt was on Quinn's side. Santana ignored Kurt all day despite his chasing after her and by the end of the day, none of the Cheerios knew whose side to be on or why they were even fighting.

"You ok, bud?" Burt asked from the doorway of his office. "Finn said you and the girls are fighting?"

Kurt groaned and kept his head down. "I'm not fighting. They're fighting and I'm stuck in the middle," he mumbled.

Burt walked in and closed the door behind him. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"No, not really," he lifted his head and met his father's worried gaze. "I'm fine, honestly. It's just been a long day."

"Alright, well if you wanna talk, I'm here," Burt told him and Kurt smiled a little. "In the meantime, I have a Buick that needs an oil change. Get on that first."

Kurt nodded as Burt went to open the door. "Oh wait!" Burt turned to his son with a raised brow. "I actually do have something to ask you. You know how I told you this morning that Blaine gave me that platinum card?"

"Uh, huh."

"Well, I really don't wanna use it unless I absolutely have to and I'm a little short on money. I was wondering if I could get my allowance a little early," Kurt asked with a hopeful smile.

Burt crossed his arms. "What do you need the money for?"

"I wanted to make the guys a Thanksgiving basket and send it to them," Kurt said with an excited clap. "I even talked to Eric and got the address of hotel they'll be staying in that day. Since they're on the road, I figured they could enjoy a little slice of home. I was going to make them a Thanksgiving meal, but between the actual food for them and the crew and the special packaging to keep everything fresh, it's kinda pricey."

Burt thought it over for a moment and then nodded. Truthfully, he had expected Kurt to ask him if he could go to Blaine the few days he was off and was pleasantly surprised that Kurt chose to be with their family. "Alright, sure. That's really nice of you, son. Calculate exactly how much it'll cost and let me know. I'll gladly donate to the cause."

Kurt smiled brightly and stood up from the chair, throwing his arms around his father's neck in a hug. "Thanks, Dad. You really are the coolest."

Burt chuckled and patted Kurt's back. "You bet I am."

Hunter set the timer on the microwave and pressed start. It was Monday evening and he spent the entire day wrapped up in Sebastian's old Dalton sweater. He was absolutely miserable. In all his years of teaching at Dalton, not once had he called in sick. But after the weekend he had, he could barely manage to get dressed. Replying to Sebastian's email had been a mistake. As soon as he hit send, his entire world shattered. The pain he felt when they first met and Sebastian abandoned him was nothing compared to what he felt now. He never believed Sebastian when he said he was hurting, when he said that he felt like the world around him was constantly spinning. He always thought that Sebastian was trying to make him feel guilty or trick him. He never once felt nearly as bad as Sebastian claimed to in all of his emails and Hunter always thought it was because them being soulmates was a mistake.

But he spent a lot of time thinking about the last six years of his life that weekend and it made him realize things that he never once thought of. For one, he held just as much fault for what happened between them as Sebastian did. Maybe even more fault. Sebastian tried time and time again to communicate with him and all Hunter did was shut him out, too stuck in the past to ever truly give him a chance. He chose to believe what the gossip articles said about Sebastian because it was easier that way. He chose to push Sebastian away because he convinced himself that they were a mistake. And yet, he chose to lead the single life because somewhere deep inside his heart he knew that Sebastian was meant to be his and no one could take his place.

The latter he didn't know to be true until today. That was why he never hurt as bad as Sebastian. That was why the ever present emptiness was dulled. Because he knew that Sebastian was his and his alone, and he knew that Sebastian would always come back to him no matter how hard he pushed him away. But as soon as he answered Sebastian's ultimatum, as soon as Sebastian shut the door, all the heartache that was locked away poured out and now he felt like his world was caving in. If this is what Sebastian had been going through the last six years then Hunter was seriously in the dark about who his soulmate truly is as a person. One weekend of it and he felt like he was dying. But Sebastian worked through it and still managed to flourish in his career.

Hunter brought the sweatshirt to his nose and inhaled deeply. It no longer smelled like Sebastian but it always brought back the memories of that day. Memories that had stayed forgotten for years. Memories that now haunted him.

Three days. That's all it took for Hunter to fall head over heels, deeply in love with Sebastian. When he visited Dalton that fateful day to talk to his old headmaster about fulfilling his required observations hours for his teaching degree there, he hadn't expected to run straight into Sebastian nor had he expected his heart to thump so violently at the sight of the gorgeous man. But he kept his cool and acted as if it was no big deal that they finally met. He kept his walls up as best he could. But with every curious look, with every heated glance Sebastian sent him, his walls undoubtedly started to crack.

They had dinner that first night and Hunter played it cool while Sebastian did everything in his power to woo him. The next morning, Hunter was greeted with a cocky Sebastian holding coffee and muffins at his door. Hunter allowed him to come in and he spent the morning listening to Sebastian talk about himself and his career. Hunter had class that afternoon though so they exchanged numbers, sent text throughout the day, and then met up for dinner again. Only this time, Hunter was a little more at ease, a little more open to the idea of Sebastian despite his worries of Sebastian's sordid past. On the third day, Sebastian convinced Hunter to skip classes and they went to the local carnival. They spent their entire day there, playing games, eating junk food, and riding every single ride as much as they could. They laughed at things that that no one else would find funny and for the first time since they'd met, Hunter saw a side of Sebastian he didn't think existed. Sebastian went from cocky and arrogant to sweet and dorky and Hunter fell hard.

He watched Sebastian play the same game for over an hour until he won enough tickets for the large panda bear for him. But when Sebastian saw a little boy crying to his mother about not winning the tiger he wanted, he sent Hunter an apologetic smile and used his tickets on the toy for the small child instead. Hunter was truly touched. The smile of pure joy on the boy's face when Sebastian handed him the tiger was adorable. But the look on Sebastian's, the caring, warm gaze Sebastian gave the little boy broke down every wall and melted his heart. That was the moment he fell in love with Sebastian, and when Sebastian tried to apologize for not getting the panda bear, Hunter grabbed him by the face and kissed him hard.

Now Hunter laid naked in his bed with Sebastian sound asleep next to him, their clothes strewn all over the floor between the front door and his bedroom. It was late and he had class early in the morning but he didn't care. All that mattered was that the world's sexiest man was his soulmate and Hunter needed to be with him desperately. He pulled the blankets back and trailed his fingers down Sebastian's well-defined chest.

"Sebastian," Hunter whispered into his ear. "Wake up."

Sebastian stirred slightly but didn't awake. Hunter continued to trail his fingers down Sebastian's body until he reached Sebastian's hardening cock. He wrapped his fingers around it firmly and started pumping, taking Sebastian's earlobe into his mouth and nibbling.

"Hunter," Sebastian moaned sleepily, his hips moving with the rhythm of Hunter's hand.

Hunter smirked. "Sebastian, I want to ride your cock," he said huskily.

Sebastian opened his eyes and looked at Hunter with a smile that made his entire body shiver. Sebastian chuckled and reached for Hunter's face to caress. "What's stopping you?"

The timer on the microwave brought Hunter back from his memories. He didn't bother to wipe the stray tear away and grabbed his bowl of soup. He shuffled back to the living room where the couch still had his blanket and pillow. He set the bowl down on his coffee table and took a seat, draping the blanket around his shoulders before grabbing the TV remote and his bowl of soup. He knew he was torturing himself by watching Sebastian's Good Morning America interview again but he didn't care. He needed to see Sebastian's smile, even if it wasn't directed at him. He needed to hear Sebastian's laugh, even if he could tell it was forced. He needed Sebastian, and this was the only way he could have him right now.

Blaine watched Sebastian's interview for the fourth time on his phone and he couldn't help but worry. Something was wrong. He could see it on Sebastian's face. He could hear it in his voice. He had tried calling Sebastian after their sound check but Sebastian ignored his call again. Something was seriously off.

"Whatever you're watching can't be that complicated to comprehend, Blainers," David teased with his mouth full of food.

"Yeah man," Jeff chimed in. "I mean, I know you're an overachiever and all but we have an hour before the show starts. That's not enough time to learn rocket science," he joked, David cackling to himself while Wes and Nick shook their heads.

"I'm watching Seb's interview from this morning," Blaine told them with an eye roll. "Something's off with him."

David drank some water and sat down in one of the chairs. "He's Sebastian. He's always off," he tried to joke but held back a laugh when Blaine sent him a hard glare.

"I'm serious, David. Something's not right," Blaine said with worried look to Wes.

Wes walked over to him and held out his hand. "Let me watch it." Blaine handed his phone over and Wes pressed play. He watched the interview with a keen eye, paying attention to the way Sebastian spoke and presented himself. When it was over he watched it two more times before looking up at Blaine with the same worried expression. "Yeah, something's not right," he said as he handed Blaine his phone.

"See," Blaine said with a look to Jeff and David.

"What exactly isn't right about him?" Nick wondered curiously.

Blaine's shoulders slumped. "I don't know. He's justânot himself. He's chipper, which is weird in itself because Sebastian Smythe is not chipper, and it's so forced. His laugh, the way he responded to the questions. All of it."

"Yeah," Wes nodded as he took a seat. "It's like he's hiding."

Blaine snapped and pointed at Wes. "Exactly. He's hiding. But from what?" The guys shrugged. "Maybe I should call-"

"No!" The guys shouted simultaneously.

"Don't even think about it, Anderson. Or do I need to remind you how badly that ended last time?" David asked seriously with a raised brow.

Blaine shook his head. No, he didn't need reminding of what happened the last time he tried to get involved in Sebastian's and Hunter's affairs. With an exhale, he called Sebastian again. It only rung twice before going to voicemail. He hung up and looked at Wes. "Now what?" he asked with a soft whine. "I'm really starting to worry about him."

Wes pursed his lips and came to a decision. "I'll call Hunter after the show. It's been a few weeks since we've talked and the last time I spoke to him he seemed fine. Nothing unusual. But maybe something happened since then." Out of all the boys at Dalton, Wes was the one friend Hunter stayed in touch with. He was the one person Hunter had considered a true friend. If anyone could find out what was going on, it was Wes.

Blaine breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thanks, Wes. You're the only who gets it."

David and Jeff looked affronted while Nick chuckled at them. Wes smiled softly and pat Blaine's leg. "We're Dalton men, through and through. We take care of our own."

Hunter held his phone in his hand. He knew he shouldn't do it. Everything in him was telling him it was a bad idea and that he should let it go for the time being. But he couldn't let it go. He couldn't convince himself not to call even though he knew that it would end badly. He needed to do it. He needed to hear Sebastian's voice, even if only for a second. Even if it meant getting into a fight. Unable to control himself any longer, he went to Sebastian's contact and called.

Sebastian rolled his eyes as he reached to silence his ringing phone, assuming that it was Blaine again. But when he saw that it was Hunter, he had no choice but to pick up.

"Hello?" He answered with uncertainty.

There was a beat of silence before Hunter responded, his voice raw from crying. "Hello, Sebastian."

Sebastian set his book and highlighter down on his coffee table. "Hunter?" he questioned, taking a look around his living room as if Hunter would pop out of somewhere.

Hunter sniffled and cleared his throat. "Yeahâit's me."

"Whatâwhy are you calling me?" Sebastian asked and Hunter cringed at the anger in his voice. "Are you hurt? Is something wrong?"

"No, IâyesâI meanâ" Hunter stammered, regretting his decision to call more and more with each passing second.

"What do you mean, Hunter?" Sebastian bit back. "I'm a little busy right now. I can't waste my valuable time listening to you stutter like some retard."

"I'm sorry," Hunter spoke quietly. Several minutes passed without so much as a breath from Sebastian and Hunter was certain that he ended the call. "Seb?"

"You're sorry," Sebastian finally said, his tone hard and emotionless. "What exactly are you sorry for, darling?"

Hunter's heart broke a little more at the use of the term of endearment, not missing the viciousness behind it. "I haven'tâI haven't hurt like you, Sebastian," he started shakily. "These past few yearsâI've just been numb, to everything really, and after I answered your email IâI felt like my entire world fell out from under me and I am so, so sorry. I know that doesn't make a difference. I know that I've been a stubborn idiot and I'm so sorry."

Sebastian let out a breathy laugh and stood up from his chair. "Let me get this straight. You're sorry for being a monumental jackass but only because you're now hurting? Because your world is just now breaking apart? Are you fucking kidding me?!" he snapped.

"Sebastian."

"Six years, Hunter!" Sebastian shouted angrily. "Six years I've felt like my entire fucking existence meant nothing because you couldn't even answer a damn email! And now that I'm finally doing ok, now that my career had finally given me what I wanted, you decide to call? Are you serious right now?!"

"It's always about your career isn't it," Hunter muttered and instantly regretted.

"Oh for fuck's sake! I cannot believe you're still holding on to that!" Sebastian yelled at him as he started to pace. "And for the record, no, it's not always about my damn career. I've done nothing but cameos the past three years because I've been too fucking heartbroken to do anything else. I put my career on hold as best as I could so that one day, if you chose to call me or to answer any of my emails, I wouldn't be tied down. I would've dropped everything for you Hunter, everything. And now, when I've taken the most important role of my life, you come back around. Well I'm sorry for you but I am not going to give that up."

"And you shouldn't," Hunter said softly even though he wanted to beg Sebastian to come to him. "You're right, this movie deal is amazing and you shouldn't give that up for me. I know you hate me-"

"Don't be stupid," Sebastian cut him off. "I don't hate you. I've never hated. I love you, more than I love myself, and that's my biggest problem."

Hunter's heart swelled and broke at the same time. "Seb, I lo-"

"No, you don't get to say that to me," Sebastian interrupted. "Not now. Not after years of you ignoring me. You want this to work? You want the chance of us finally being together? Then leave me the hell alone. I cannot deal with the emotional stress that comes from being yours and this movie. Don't call me. Don't text me. Don't email me. Let me get my shit together, alright?" Sebastian paused for a moment to gather himself. "I'm notâI'm not ok, Hunter. I'm dealing with so much right now and I need to be able to take care of myself before I can even think of taking care of you. Do you get that?" he asked, his voice wavering.

Hunter nodded to himself. "I do. I'll leave you alone. I promise." Sebastian didn't bother to say goodbye before hanging up. Hunter stared at the screen for a moment, the picture he took of Sebastian years ago still saved on his contact info, before dropping the phone. He pulled his legs up on the couch and curled into himself, crying harder than he ever had until he fell asleep.

A/N: I plan on writing a Huntbastian oneshot based on their first three days during the hiatus so keep an eye out for that. I love you all.

Thanksgiving

A/N: Hello my beautiful lovelies. I know, I know, I'm a week late on the update. Sorry about that. Life happened. I'll leave my author's note for the end of the chapter and just let you all enjoy this. I love you all!

Quick note! I know everyone gets a week off for Thanksgiving but McKinley only gets half a week because Sue convinced the school board to cut the holiday short so that she could have four full weeks of Christmas break. Thus why the McKinley kids are still in school this week.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being the best beta ever!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

The Warblers are back! After taking a four day break from their worldwide sold out tour, The Warblers came together in Pierre, South Dakota for an unbelievable show last night. While soulmates Jeff and Nick Duval-Sterling traveled with the bus and crew, David Thompson and Wes Montgomery flew to Los Angeles to be with their wives and Blaine Anderson flew to Ohio to visit his still unidentified soulmate, K. During their break, the guys teased the fans with photos and tweets between their significant others and no doubt relaxed from the stress that comes from being on the road. Some believed, myself included, that after so many consecutive days with zero rehearsal, The Warblers would have somehow lost their touch, especially since their break landed right in the middle of the first leg of the tour. However, the young men were just as in sync, if not more for last night's performance and this usually hard impressed reporter was truly blown away. There is no denying it, The Warblers are flawless.

William Gray - Pierre Arts and Entertainment News

Blaine's head fell back on the pillow, a long exhausted breath escaping his lips. After four days away from the tour followed by two shows in a row in different states, he was worn out. It was rare for them to stay in a hotel while they were on tour, the decked out bus being their home away from home. But since they were off the next two days and wouldn't be leaving until late Thursday night, they booked hotel rooms for everyone in Colorado. Although Blaine enjoyed the luxuries of a bed with the softest blankets and a shower that doesn't switch to cold anytime one of the guys decides to use the kitchen faucet, the silence surrounding him made him yearn for his bunk.

It was the lull of the road underneath him that helped Blaine fall asleep, and the whispers amongst the guys as they settled in for bed that comforted him. Now, despite his exhaustion, he lay wide awake in his hotel bed with no noise or random flickers of light to distract him. He gave up on trying to fall asleep and let his mind wander to the past two days, which had passed in a blur. He thought about how amazing it felt to be back on stage Monday, singing to the fans with all of his heart and then talking to Kurt until they both fell asleep.

He thought about this morning and how he found Wes sitting at the dining table with a coffee mug for him and a cautious expression. His momentarily forgotten worry about Sebastian came back tenfold. Wes had spoken with Hunter and although he assured Wes that he was fine, Wes could tell he was lying. Wes and Blaine could only guess that Hunter and Sebastian had finally spoken after years of no communication, and even Wes had to admit that he was worried about their friends. Blaine had tried calling Sebastian again but wasn't surprised when it went to voicemail. Sebastian was an expert at avoidance and Blaine feared the worst.

The rest of his Tuesday was filled with rehearsal, meeting fans, and texting Kurt every chance he had. Four days of being around Kurt had been exactly what he needed, but now he missed his love more than ever. He was desperate to hold him again, to kiss him, to touch him. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined his Kurt to be such a tease. He never imagined how difficult it would be to spend time with Kurt and not rip his clothes off. It didn't matter that Kurt's only "experience" before him was Santana. Kurt was an expert on playing the innocent part all the while sending Blaine the subtlest of smirks that made Blaine's entire being shiver with want. His soulmate was surprisingly comfortable in his own skin despite his inexperience, and Blaine couldn't wait for the week when they finally bonded. It was going to be one he would make certain Kurt could never forget.

The thought of Kurt and the way his eyes called out to him sprung Blaine's cock to life and he immediately reached down for his now throbbing erection. In his mind, it was Kurt's firm grasp around him, Kurt's lips on his neck, Kurt's own erection pressing against him. Blaine breathed slowly, pumping sensually as he reached for his phone with his free hand to look at the time. It was midnight which meant that it was two in the morning in Ohio and Kurt was sound asleep.

"Fuck," he muttered, his thumb teasing the head. He would give anything to hear Kurt's breathy moans right now.

Kurt should be sleeping. But instead, he was on his phone, headphones in his ears, watching the fan videos on YouTube from tonight's Warbler performance. He loved watching Blaine perform, always had, and after his excruciatingly long day, he needed to see the utter joy on Blaine's face.

His morning had started with him and Santana getting into a yelling match before school; a match that ended with Santana in tears and curled in his arms. He didn't need to promise her that he wouldn't say a word about why Quinn's reaction had hurt her so much. He knew that he couldn't tell Quinn how Santana felt just like he couldn't tell Santana how Quinn felt. But being the one in the middle of both truths was exhausting. By the time he made it home, he was annoyed at everything and everyone, and all he wanted was to crash in bed. But now that he was actually in bed, his mind wouldn't relax enough to let him fall asleep.

He went back and forth between thinking about how his two best friends were in love with each other and while it made perfect sense, it was also confusing and unexpected. When he wasn't thinking about the girls, he was worrying about Rachel and whether she was truly able to keep his secret. Or he thought about Dave Karofsky, who in one day, went from his arch nemesis to a scared boy desperate for a true friendship. Had Kurt ever thought he and Dave would come to some sort of truce? Not in a million years. But now things were different. Not only had Dave sent him a subtle but friendly smile in the hallway, but he stopped Azimio Adams from sending the usual slurs his way.

"Dude, shut the hell up," Dave had said with an exasperated eye roll. "Don't you ever get tired of being a dumbass prick?"

"Are you standing up for the homo queen now?" Azimio had bit back.

Dave let the words roll off his back and shook his head almost sympathetically. "You know, I forget that you're still just a kid," he said with a pat on Azimio's shoulder, his brown leather cuff on display. "It's time to grow up, dude."

Azimio had watched dumbstruck as his leader walked away without another word and Kurt stood by his locker with a shocked but proud smile. Maybe he and Dave could be friends after all, and their potential friendship led to him worrying about Jacob and his blog. He was still waiting on Blaine to tell him when he would be meeting the SSAA representative and he was more than ready for it. He was confident in the relationship he and Blaine were building and his initial fear of the SSAA was gone. But Dave wasn't as strong as him. Kurt knew that Dave would probably never come out in the halls of McKinley and he couldn't fault him for it. But Jacob knew the truth and he would use it to his own advantage if he could. Kurt was not going to let that happen.

He spent hours tossing and turning in bed as his mind jumped from one worry to the next until he finally decided to distract himself with The Warblers' video. The only problem was that now he missed Blaine more than ever and it made his heart ache with a desperate longing. Winter break and the end of The Warblers' USA part of the tour could not come soon enough. They would be together for almost two months and he couldn't wait to finally spend quality alone time with Blaine, alone time that he was already planning in his head. Kurt had noticed very quickly that Blaine enjoyed their cat and mouse games a lot more than he let on, and Kurt had every intention of using that to his advantage.

After a couple more videos, he exited his YouTube app and went into his personal videos. He watched a few of the ones he had taken on his birthday and some he had taken while Blaine was there, but avoided the one Santana had sent him. And not because he didn't enjoy the video, but because the thrill of anticipation he always got knowing it was there was enough to make his cock harden and his blood boil with desire. He waited until he could feel himself throbbing before finally playing the video. He would never tell Santana just how much he enjoyed watching himself and Blaine make-out, or how many times he'd gotten off to the video. She would never let him live it down but he would be forever grateful to her for being so perverted.

He bit his lip and turned the volume all the way up so that he could hear the quiet moans and murmurs they produced together. There was something so incredibly erotic about watching and listening to himself moan. He had to admit that he was more than willing to make an actual video of them. Although he knew that it was dangerous for celebrities to have these kinds of home movies, he also knew that he wanted one for himself. And after Blaine's admittance of how much he enjoyed Santana's recording, he was certain they would end up making one. He could practically hear Santana purr, Klaine sex video, wanky, in his ear and it made him smirk seductively.

"Wanky indeed," he muttered quietly as he moved from lying on his side to lying on his back. He closed his eyes and let the video play on repeat, his un-cuffed hand trailing down his shirtless torso teasingly while his other hand gripped his thigh. In his mind, it was Blaine's callused finger tips caressing him, Blaine's strong hold on his leg, and as he wrapped his fingers around the base of his leaking erection, it was Blaine's name that he whispered into the night.

Blaine groaned unashamedly, his head thrown back, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly parted as he stroked himself with fervor. He was nowhere near ready to release but that didn't stop his body's desperate attempt to, or its irrefutable need to be connected with his beloved. He let himself fall into the need. He allowed his soul to call out for Kurt even though they were hundreds of miles apart. He wondered if doing so would somehow send Kurt the message that he needed him. He wondered if maybe, Kurt would dream of them because of it. He smiled wickedly at the thought. Kurt, he moaned in his mind, you feel so good around me, baby. So good.

Kurt bit down on his comforter to muffle the sounds, his hand working furiously as he pumped, his mind reeling with all of his fantasies. First it was Blaine's hand around him, and then it was Blaine's mouth sucking him off all the while looking up at Kurt through his lashes with bashful eyes. Before he knew it, he was straddling Blaine and riding his cock as if his life depended on it. No matter what Kurt did, he couldn't get the image out of his head. He couldn't stop thinking about Blaine fucking him from underneath and it made his insides shudder with such want that he all but screamed. The thought was too overwhelming to let go. It was almost too much to handle and Kurt wanted more, he needed more. Without a second thought, Kurt let himself go and reached over his bed to grab the box of items he received from Santana for his birthday. He didn't even blush when he grabbed a bottle of lube or the Assberry Raspberry. He was past the point of blushing right now.

Blaine licked his hand for the third time and wrapped it around his cock once more, pumping slowly for only a moment before picking up speed. Kurt baby, you're so tight for me. Fuck, you feel so good. His grip tightened and his hips gyrated into his hand, his eyes shut tight as the image of Kurt bouncing up and down on his cock infiltrated his mind. He reached out to touch what should be Kurt's chest and when he got nothing but air, he groaned in frustration.

"Ohlordjesus," Kurt muttered into his pillow. He was two fingers deep inside himself and it was the dirtiest he ever felt. It was raunchy and sexy and he was desperate for more.

Blaine couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't handle being by himself in his hotel room with all of his dirty thoughts and no release. He needed Kurt and he needed him now. He reached for his phone and fumbled through his recent calls until he called Kurt's number. He put the phone on speaker and set it next to his head on the pillow. Kurt was about to get a nasty wake-up call. Blaine smiled devilishly and stroked harder.

Kurt had just closed the bottle of lube after pouring a generous amount on the vibrator when he heard Blaine's voice sing out. He froze for a second before reaching for it. He cleared his throat and answered. "Blaine?"

"Kurt," Blaine moaned out in response.

Kurt felt his whole body flush. "Blaine? What are youâ"

"I couldn't stop thinking about you baby," Blaine replied with a whine. "I'm sorry if I woke you but I missed you so much," he said with another moan.

Kurt groaned. "Blaine," he whispered lowly. "Are you touching yourself?" he asked as his hand traveled back down to his cock, the slicked up vibrator sitting on his chest.

Blaine nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, I am. Have been for a while now," he purred and Kurt released a breathy moan. "Are you touching yourself for me, love?"

Kurt gulped. "Iâyes," he answered. "I couldn't sleep either and I was thinking of you and I wasâ"

"You what, my love? What were you doing?"

"Fingering myself," Kurt whispered.

Blaine inhaled sharply, his mind supplying the image of him opening Kurt up. "How many fingers?" he asked gruffly.

"Two," Kurt moaned out. "IâI was at two when Iâ"

Blaine licked his lips. "When you what, Kurt?" he asked with that forceful tone he knew drove Kurt wild. "Tell me."

Kurt slid his hand back and inserted his fingers inside again. "When I decided to use the vibrator," he answered in one quick breath.

"Kurt," Blaine drew out. "Are you doing it now? With the vibrator?"

"No, just my fingers," Kurt said in between moaning. "You called before Iâgod Blaine, this feels so good."

"Use it. Use the vibrator for me," Blaine instructed, holding back as long as he could. He listened intently as Kurt shuffled in his bed. He heard a strangled moan and he knew that Kurt had to have inserted it. "Kurt baby, you alright?"

"Mhm," Kurt answered with a shudder in his voice. "So good. You feel so good."

Blaine groaned out loud. "Do I now?"

"Yes."

"Turn it on baby," Blaine all but demanded and Kurt did as he was told. "Let it make you feel good. Imagine it's me deep inside you. Imagine me fucking you from behind, from on top. Imagine riding my cock."

That was all it took for Kurt to come undone. He ass was in the air, his face pressed against his pillow, and the phone firmly attached to his ear as he spilled over his sheets. The sound of Kurt losing his ability to breath sent Blaine over the edge and he came hard in his hand, Kurt's name on his lips. He heard Kurt groan and he assumed that Kurt had removed the vibrator. He smiled to himself, wiping his hand on the expensive sheets uncaringly before putting his arm behind his head and grabbing his phone, taking it off speaker.

"That was incredible," Blaine chuckled seductively.

Kurt laughed lightly and nodded, not even caring about the mess he made. "It was. I didn't expect to end my night like that."

"Neither did I, but it was perfect," Blaine said with a longing sigh. "Thanks for that," he teased.

"Anytime, anywhere, and anything for you gorgeous," Kurt flirted back. "I should go to sleep. You know, school in the morning and all."

"Of course," Blaine spoke softly. "Goodnight, Kurt. I love you."

"Goodnight, Blaine. I love you, too."

Santana strutted down the halls of McKinley Wednesday morning with her eyes and ears wide open. There was really no point in her being at school with it only being a half day, but the gossip online surrounding Kurt's identity was enough to make her attend. She needed to make sure none of the students were talking about the mysterious K or linking Kurt to Blaine. It wasn't like it was that hard to figure out and the students at McKinley had a knack for starting the most ridiculous rumors, especially Jacob. The last thing they needed was for him to start a rumor that was actually true. She turned the corner towards her class and zeroed in on Rachel, standing with her arms crossed and having an argument with Jacob. This couldn't be good.

"How dare you make such a horrendous accusation?!" Rachel screeched angrily. "Finn Hudson is my soulmate, not Jesse St. James!"

"My sources tell me you were cuddled up with him at an undisclosed location this weekend," Jacob said with his microphone in Rachel's face. "Is it true that it's because you prefer men with long, luxurious hair like mine?" He said with a hint of seduction and Rachel literally gagged. "What about Kurt Hummel? Is it true that his soulmate-"

Jacob was suddenly pinned against the lockers by Santana's firm grasp preventing him from finishing the question. "I'm pretty sure His Royal Highness made it perfectly clear that his soulmate is none of your damn business," she snarled.

"Why all the secrecy?" Jacob squeaked out. "What's Hummel hiding?"

Santana responded by snatching Jacob's camera and throwing it on the floor as hard as she could. Jacob yelled at her to stop but she acted as if she hadn't heard him. Instead she let the glare slip away and became deadly serious. Jacob gulped as she leaned closer to whisper in his ear. Rachel couldn't hear what Santana told him but by the look of dread on his face, she knew it had to be bad.

"Do we have an understanding?" Santana asked as she backed away from Jacob. The junior nodded frantically, his eyes wide with fear. "Good. Now go." Jacob ran off without a word, leaving his broken camera on the floor. Santana picked it up and put in her bag before turning to Rachel. "What did you say to him about Kurt?"

Rachel gasped at the accusatory tone. "Excuse you! I would never say anything!"

"Uh huh," Santana nodded, eyeing Rachel suspiciously. "Let's keep it that way, Yentl. I'm watching you." Rachel crossed her arms and huffed in aggravation while Santana glanced down the hallway. She was shocked to see that Quinn was following Brittany out of the building. Her heart dropped at the thought of them talking, without her or Kurt there to intervene, but she couldn't think about it right now. She looked back at Rachel, who was glaring at her, and rolled her eyes uncaringly. "We're meeting up at Kurt's after school and you need to be there. There are things we need to discuss."

Rachel breathed in annoyance. "Fine," she said with a nod.

"Fine," Santana mocked and walked off in search of Kurt.

"What exactly is this about?" Quinn asked dryly as she and Brittany came around the corner of the supply shed. "I have things to do."

"Why do you hate me?" Brittany asked so quietly that Quinn barely heard. Quinn turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. "I thought that once Tana and I were friends again, you and I would be friends too. But you seem to hate me more now than ever, and I want to know why."

Quinn looked away and took a deep breath. "I don't hate you, ok? I'm just not particularly fond of you playing with Tana's emotions."

"I'm not playing with her emotions," Brittany replied defensively. "She knows I belong to Sam. She's not trying to take me away from him and I'm not treating her the way I used to. I'm not being affectionate with her. I'm just trying to be her friend." Quinn crossed her arms but said nothing. "What's this really about, Quinn?" Again, Quinn stayed completely quiet. Brittany stared at her for a moment, trying to put the pieces together, and then gasped. "Oh my god."

"What?" Quinn snapped.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Brittany asked with wide eyes and Quinn visibly paled. "I always felt like maybe you were into her but you're totally in love with her. That's why you hate me. You're jealous."

"I'm not jealous," Quinn deadpanned.

"You are," Brittany said confidently with a nod. "All these years of never knowing why we never really clicked, it was because you were jealous of me," Quinn turned a cold glare on her and Brittany smiled sympathetically. "Gosh, Q. I never knew you felt that way. I'm sorry if my being friends with her again has caused you any heartache," she said with such sincerity that Quinn had no choice but to let go of her anger.

Quinn looked away from Brittany and leaned against the shed, her eyes to the ground. "You don't need to apologize, Britt. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who can't keep her emotions in check."

Brittany walked over to her and leaned on the shed next to her. "So, I'm right? You are in love with her?" she asked with a hopeful tone.

Quinn looked up and met her optimistic gaze. "Iâyes, I'm in love with her," she admitted just above a whisper and Brittany clapped with delight. "But she doesn't know and I don't want her to."

"Why not?" Brittany asked crestfallen.

"Because her birthday is just around the corner, Britt," Quinn replied with exasperation. "How could I possibly tell her how I feel when she's about to find out who her soulmate is? No, I can't do that. I won't do that." Brittany smiled sadly and nodded. "And you can't tell her. Promise me," Quinn held out her pinky and Brittany took it without hesitation and pecked her lips. Quinn sighed with relief. "Thank you."

"Of course," Brittany nodded. "So, are we ok now?"

Quinn smiled softly and pulled Brittany into a hug. "Yeah, we're ok."

Kurt sat on his bed that afternoon with Quinn on one side, Rachel on the other, and Santana sitting in front of him. He scrolled through the Klaine tag on Tumblr while Santana scrolled through the Seblaine tag on her phone, and Quinn and Rachel went through all of his twitter mentions and the Klaine hashtag on Twitter on their phones. Ever since the gossip article that called Kurt out for his response against the Seblaine fans, the social media world had exploded. While he was touched by the people who defended him and his relationship to Blaine, he was also worried about the people who were dead set on finding out who he was. He enjoyed talking to all of Blaine's fans but he needed to take a step back. He hoped the shit storm he caused would blow over, but as he scrolled through the tag, he wasn't so sure.

With an aggravated sigh, he closed his laptop and pushed it away. "This is so not good," he muttered into his hands. "These fans are fucking crazy!"

"You would know considering you were one of them," Santana quipped.

Kurt glared at her and turned to Rachel. "Is it just as bad on Twitter as it is on Tumblr?"

Rachel made a face and glanced at Quinn. "More or less."

"Fuck," Kurt groaned.

"What are you going to do now?" Rachel wondered. "You can't let this go."

"Berry's right," Santana said seriously. "The bullshit these people are talking is-"

"Is just that, bullshit," Kurt cut her off. "I can't say anything. I can't defend myself or make any kind of statement because all it's going to do is add fuel to the fire."

"So, what now?" Quinn asked.

Kurt sighed with a shrug. "I think it's time I tell the rest of the New Directions. Blaine and I will be lucky if my identity stays secret until Christmas break and I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"Let's have a sleepover this weekend," Rachel suggested entirely too enthusiastically. "We'll invite everyone here and that way you can tell them all at once."

Kurt made a face, one that said that a group sleepover was the last thing he wanted, and nodded. "Yeah, I guess that'd probably be best."

"What about JBI's blog?" Santana questioned. "He knows you're hiding something big. He's a fucking rat and you're holding high quality cheese over his nose. He won't rest until he figures shit out."

"I'm waiting for Blaine to call me," Kurt told them and slumped his shoulders. "He said he'll have the SSAA info for me today."

"Aren't you worried about what they'll say?" Rachel asked with concern. "I mean, these people can be really scary. I met one once when my aunt lost her husband, we were visiting her when the agent showed up at her house, and he was really creepy."

"Yeah, cause that's what he wants to hear," Santana retorted with an eye roll as she pulled out her phone. She glanced at Quinn for only a second before going into her messages.

Kurt chose to ignore Santana's comment. "Honestly Rach, I could care less. JBI's blog has to be taken down for more reasons than just me and Blaine, and if talking to these people is the way to do it, I'm on board."

Rachel half-shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Hey guys," Finn's voice came from the doorway. "Mom's about to order some pizza for lunch and she wants to know if you're staying," he said to the girls.

Quinn and Santana nodded and Rachel jumped off the bed. "Oh! I have to make sure she gets the proper vegan pizza!" she said and ran downstairs with Finn close behind.

"I don't know how you're going to deal with her for the rest your life," Santana said shaking her head.

Kurt raised a brow. "You mean, how we're going to deal with her," he said with a smug grin. "You're crazy if you think for a second that you won't be around when they have their third child that's destined for Broadway."

Santana groaned and laid flat on her back at the end of Kurt's bed. "Damn it," she grumbled and Kurt laughed.

Quinn kept her eyes on her phone in her hand, pretending to read through Twitter though really, her gaze was subtly traveling up Santana's long legs. She bit her lip and forced herself to look away. Santana was going to catch her staring one of these days if she didn't get ahold of herself. Blaine's voice rang out and both girls turned to Kurt.

"Finally," he breathed before answering. "Hey baby," he greeted as he stood up from his bed. "Please tell me you have some good news."

"As a matter of fact, I do," Blaine replied and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice.

While Kurt got the information he needed from Blaine, Santana decided to bite the bullet and text Quinn.

From Santana:

Are we still fighting?

Quinn read the message and gave Santana a curious look. Santana wasn't one to show vulnerability and it threw Quinn for a loop when she saw that Santana was avoiding eye contact with her. She stared at her screen for a moment longer before replying.

From Quinn:

Are you still being a bitch?

Santana read the text and rolled her eyes, though a smirk played at her lips.

From Santana:

I'm always a bitch. Don't act like you don't know that. And I know you and Britt talked so stop being mad at me already.

Quinn read the message and scoffed. She grabbed one of Kurt's pillows and threw it at Santana's face. "You're such a bitch. I fucking hate you so much sometimes."

Santana laughed and threw the pillow back. "As long as it's only sometimes, I'm good."

Quinn chuckled softly and shook her head. They caught each other's gaze and neither could deny the sparks that flew between them. In Quinn's mind, she crawled over to Santana and straddled her before claiming her lips in a searing kiss. In Santana's, she gave into Quinn's need for dominance willingly. Without thinking, Santana bent one leg and her Cheerios skirt slipped up just enough to tease. Santana was unknowingly challenging Quinn, begging her to take a step, and Quinn almost did, until Rachel's voice broke the spell.

"The pizza will be here soon," she said as she walked back into the room.

Santana quickly sat up and crossed her legs underneath her, suddenly very aware of what just happened and her body's reaction to Quinn's intense eyes. Quinn turned away entirely, closing her eyes and counting to ten in her head to calm her racing heart.

"Is he talking to Blaine?" Rachel asked, taking a seat on the bed again, completely oblivious to Santana's and Quinn's current predicament.

"Yeah," Quinn answered with a slight quiver to her voice. She cleared her throat and looked at Rachel. "He just called."

"Saturday at 12:30 at the Lima Bean, got it," the girls overheard Kurt say. "I am so ready for this meeting."

"I know you are, love. I am too," Blaine replied gently. "While I have you on the phone, can we discuss last night?"

Kurt's face turned a deep shade of red and the blush traveled all the way down his neck. "I would but um, the girls are over right now."

"Klaine sex, wanky," Santana said loud enough for Blaine to hear. "Don't mind us boys, by all means, have at it."

"Santana, leave them alone," Rachel scolded. "If they want privacy, all Kurt has to do is say so and we'll get out of the way," she smirked.

"Yeah, I don't mind hanging out downstairs while Kurt here gets his rocks off," Quinn teased. The three girls fell into a fit of giggles and Kurt glared at them.

"Oh right, I forgot you had a half day at school today and that they were coming over. I'm sorry, love. I shouldn't have brought it up," Blaine said though Kurt could tell that he really wasn't all that sorry.

"It's fine," Kurt assured him, turning away from his friends and lowering his voice. "We can talk about it later."

"What are you whispering over there for?" Santana shouted.

"I'll let you go but we're definitely discussing this later," Blaine purred and Kurt bit his lip to stop the small moan that wanted to escape. "A very thorough discussion."

"I'll be ready," Kurt tried to whisper but Santana heard anyway.

"Ready for what? I wanna know!"

Blaine chuckled seductively. "Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

Kurt ended the call and turned to his giggling friends. "I hate you all."

"Oh Blaine," Santana moaned, putting Kurt's pillow in-between her legs and humping it. Quinn started laughing uncontrollably while Rachel squealed and hid her face in her hands. Kurt closed his eyes and shook his head, not even bothering to yell at Santana for desecrating his pillow. He would switch it out later.

Blaine woke up early Thanksgiving morning with a start. He was in the midst of a beautiful dream where he and Kurt were cuddling in front of a fireplace in a remote cabin up in the mountains when David and Jeff ran into his room and jumped on his bed like kids on Christmas morning.

"What in the hell," he muttered as he opened his eyes.

"B, you gotta wake up!" David shouted, grabbing Blaine by the shoulders and shaking him. "It's Thanksgiving!"

"Yeah, and?" Blaine quipped in tired irritation. Kurt hadn't called him back until late last night and they stayed up until the early morning having very thorough discussions. Blaine smiled wickedly at the thought, momentarily forgetting that his friends were still jumping on his bed.

"And, you need to get up!" Jeff's voice rung out, bringing Blaine back to reality.

Blaine groaned and covered his face with his pillow. "Go away, I'm exhausted," he mumbled. "I'll eat hotel turkey later."

David and Jeff stopped jumping and glanced at each other. "Yo, does he not know?" David wondered.

"No, I guess he doesn't," Jeff replied with a surprised grin.

Blaine peaked out from underneath the pillow. "Know what?"

"Oh man, he is in for a massive surprise," David laughed as he and Jeff got off the bed.

"What surprise?" Blaine asked but the guys ignored him and walked out of his room. "Guys!" he yelled out. "Ugh! I hate when they do that," he grumbled as he sat up. He rubbed the back of his neck and stretched his limbs before standing up and shuffling out of the room with a yawn. He walked into the living room area that conjoined the bedrooms of all the guys and his jaw dropped. "What in the world?" he wondered as he took in the sight. The guys were taking what looked like homemade food out of several packages and placing them on kitchen carts. "What is all this?"

"This, my dear friend, is a special Thanksgiving feast courtesy of your wonderful soulmate," David said as he pulled out a pumpkin pie.

"What are you talking about?" Blaine asked with a bemused laugh.

"Here, there's a letter for you," Nick said and handed him an envelope. "I'm going to start taking this down to the kitchen. Eric talked to the hotel manager and they're letting us use their stoves to warm everything up, as long as we don't get in the way of their own cooking."

Blaine took the letter from Nick and quickly ripped the envelope open.

Dear Blaine,

My original plan had been to take a flight and surprise you, but I realized that this would be my last Thanksgiving with just my family so I decided to stay. As much as I miss you, I know my father appreciated it. The thought of you guys eating hotel food did not sit right with me at all however, so I made you a Thanksgiving meal so that you could have a small slice of home. I hope everything made it intact and I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Yours Forever and Always,

Kurt

Blaine brought the letter down and looked at all the food. It must've taken Kurt hours to prepare it all which explained why they hadn't talked much yesterday. His soulmate was entirely too perfect.

Blaine's smooth vocals broke through Kurt's dream, a dream Kurt couldn't wait to try out once they were alone. He reached for his phone with a smile. "Mornin," he mumbled sleepily.

"Kurt," Blaine breathed. "I cannot believe you did this. That's a lot of food, love. How did you manage to cook all of that in one day?"

Kurt chuckled softly at the wonderment in Blaine's voice. "My mom was a baker. She wanted her own bakery but since she was always so sick, she wouldn't have been able to run the place. So my dad turned the apartment above the garage into a bakery for her. I spent a lot of my childhood going back and forth between baking and fixing a car. It's been a while since it had been used but I figured it was the best way to get everything done. That and I may or may not have conned the girls into helping me, and then I may or may not have blackmailed Finn into driving me to a 24 hour UPS store so that I could ship it all overnight."

"You are amazing," Blaine said adoringly. "Truly amazing and I am so incredibly lucky to have you."

Kurt smiled with pride. "Thank you, I'm lucky to have you too," he yawned and glanced at the time. "Alright, I need to get up and start prepping dinner with Carole. I've already slept in too long. I'll call you later. Happy Thanksgiving, Blaine."

"Happy Thanksgiving, love"

Kurt ended the call and turned his head, allowing his eyes to close for a few more minutes. He was seconds away from falling back asleep when his phone vibrated. He picked it up and smiled at the tweets from Blaine.

WarblerBlaine : I am the luckiest man in the world. Thank you *HisLuckyCharm for preparing and sending this amazing meal away from home. [picture]

Kurt clicked on the Instagram link to see the picture of all the guys surrounded by trays of his food, all of them still wearing their pajamas.

WarblerBlaine : Happiest of Thanksgiving everyone. Especially you my love. It'll be our last one apart. *HisLuckyCharm xo

"This has seriously been the best Thanksgiving away from home ever," Jeff sighed happily. They were sprawled out in the living room, rubbing their stomachs from overstuffing themselves. They stayed in their pajamas all day and did nothing but eat and hang out, and it had been one of the most relaxing days of the tour. "I don't think I can make it to the bus. Tony's going to have to carry me."

Nick chuckled and shook his head, his fingers stroking Jeff's hair. "If he's not in a food coma, you mean. The crew tore up on Kurt's food."

"Boy please," David scoffed, his legs draped over the couch while he laid upside down. "We tore up on Kurt's food. Homeboy can cook."

"Yeah he can," Wes nodded with his head resting back on the chair and his eyes closed. "Next year, we're going to be home and Kurt is so in charge of cooking."

Blaine laughed as the guys all agreed. "I'll let him know you enjoyed his food," he glanced over at Eric who seemed to be half asleep on one of the chairs. "When are we leaving, E?"

"Time is it?" Eric mumbled.

Blaine pulled out his phone. "It's just after 6."

"Good, cause I'm not moving anytime soon," Eric replied and let his body mold into the chair. "We leave at 10."

"Thank god," Jeff said in relief. "I can't move even if I wanted."

David pointed at him and then let his arm fall beside his head. "Word."

Blaine's phone vibrated in his hands and he didn't bother to look at the screen before answering, assuming it was Kurt. "Hey there, sexy."

"Well hello to you too, killer."

Blaine's head shot up at the sound of Sebastian's voice. "Seb?"

"Yes," Sebastian drew out, amusement evident in his voice. "Are you busy? Do I need to call you back?"

"No, no. I can talk," Blaine replied and quickly stood up. "I'll be back," he told the guys.

"Happy Turkey Day Sebalicious!" Jeff shouted as Blaine walked off.

Sebastian snorted a laugh. "Tell Sterling to go suck a turkey cock bone."

"He said right back at ya," Blaine called out before entering his room and closing the door. "Hey man, what's up? What's going on?"

"Not much, just ya know, relishing in the fact that you called me sexy," Sebastian teased.

Blaine rolled his eyes and took a seat on his bed. "I thought it was Kurt calling. I didn't look at the caller ID when the phone rang."

"Uh huh, sure," Sebastian said with a laugh. "How's your Thanksgiving? I saw that Kurt sent you a big ass meal."

"Yeah, he did. It was really wonderful of him," Blaine spoke softly. "Thanksgiving's been fine. But how are you? We haven't talked in a while. I've been worried about you."

Sebastian let out a long breath. He knew that was coming. "I know B, I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my plate the last few days."

"Is everything alright?" Blaine asked cautiously. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Blaine, relax," Sebastian chuckled lightly. "I'm fine, I promise. I'm sorry I haven't been answering your call. I've just been busy with this script. You know me, I pour my everything into my roles."

"I know that, Sebastian. But you know me too. You know you can't ignore my calls like that and expect me not to worry," Blaine said with a hint of anger.

"I know and really, I'm sorry," Sebastian said with sincerity. "This role is just really important. It challenges me like none of my other roles have and I want to make sure I'll do it right."

"You will," Blaine assured him. "You're a phenomenal actor, don't question yourself."

Sebastian sighed. "I'm not trying to, honestly. I just don't want to screw this up."

"You won't," Blaine said with certainty.

Sebastian smiled to himself. He may not be telling Blaine the exact truth about why he had avoided his calls, but he really was stressing about the importance of his new role. This character was one he would be for years. The author of the book series and the creators of the movie had decided to make each book into a two part movie, simply because there was so much information and action in each book that it would be difficult to fit it all into one. That was six movies where Sebastian would portray Ryan. This was a role of a lifetime and he needed to make sure he kept up with his part.

"Thanks, B. You always know what to say," Sebastian said with a small sigh. "But anyway, the reason I'm calling is because I was looking at your European tour schedule and you guys are going to be in my neck of the woods the same week Kurt goes on Spring break. I would really like to see you and meet him before I fully disappear into this magical realm," he joked.

Blaine chuckled and tucked one leg underneath him. "That would be great. I'd love to see you and I'm sure Kurt would be stoked to meet you. Maybe you could come to one of the shows?"

"That's the plan. I just wanted to double check with you before I asked Kurt. I was thinking that one of the days where you're busy with the meet and greet and rehearsals I could take Kurt on set with me," Sebastian suggested. "You know, let him flail in person."

Blaine laughed. "He would love that. And by then we'll be public so he'll be able to take pictures and flail on Twitter."

"You're going public? When? I thought you were waiting until after he graduated?"

"We were, yes. But there's no way we're going to keep it quiet that long. The fans are getting restless and we don't want them to ruin our announcement," Blaine told him. "We're doing it during Christmas break."

"Good for you guys. Take control of the crazy train," Sebastian said with a chuckle. "But hey, I gotta go. I need to call Kurt and then finish packing. I'm heading out tonight and I'm still nowhere ready."

"Tonight? I thought you still had like four or five weeks left?" Blaine asked bemused.

"Technically, yes. But I want to find a place and settle in before we start shooting. I don't want to stay at a hotel the entire time I'm there," Sebastian said and Blaine could tell there was something more as to why he was going early.

Blaine decided not to question him though. He was just happy that Sebastian had finally called him back. "Alright then. Have a safe flight. Text me when you land?"

"Will do."

Kurt wasn't exactly sure what they were laughing at but he was holding onto his sides and tears were streaming down his cheeks from laughing so hard. Maybe it was because this was his last holiday with just his family but they all seemed to be in high spirits and had been laughing at nonsense for the past hour. Right now, Finn was doing some victory dance because he beat Burt at a video game and although the dance wasn't that funny, he and Carole were giggling hysterically while Burt sulked in his chair. Kurt blamed it on the wine his father allowed him to have for dinner, and the extra glass Carole gave him when Burt wasn't looking. He was definitely feeling a little buzzed and even though he missed Blaine terribly, he was truly enjoying the family time.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out, expecting it to be Blaine. He was pleasantly surprised to see it was Sebastian who had been MIA lately. "Yo bro, what it do?" he answered in his best gangster voice.

"Kurt?"

"That be ma name, don't wear it out son," Kurt replied before falling into another fit of laughter.

"Who are you talking to?" Finn half shouted.

"Yo boyfren," Kurt replied, knowing that Finn would know exactly who he was talking about. "Wanna say hi?" Finn's eyes went wide and he shook his head frantically. He was just barely getting used to the idea of Blaine. He still couldn't get over the fact that Kurt talked to Sebastian Smythe of all people.

"You sound busy," Sebastian said with uncertainty. "Should I call back later?"

"No, no. I'm good," Kurt answered and stood up from his seat. "My parents let me have a couple glasses of wine and I'm a little on the tipsy side," he laughed.

Sebastian paused for a moment before replying. "I see."

"But I'm good, I swear. What's up? We haven't talked in ages!" Kurt said dramatically and walked towards the kitchen.

Sebastian chuckled lightly. "It's been like a week, Kurt."

"Totes irrelevant," Kurt scoffed. "So what's up? Are you calling just to say hi or did you need something?"

"I guess a little bit of both," Sebastian said with a smirk. "I actually have a question for you."

Kurt grabbed a cookie before Finn ate them all and took a bite. "Mhm?"

"I need to give security a list of names of people who are allowed to visit me on set and I wanted to know if you wanted to be on that list."

Kurt choked on his cookie and coughed, Sebastian laughing on the other end. "I'm sorry, what?"

"When you come to Europe to visit Blaine during Spring break," Sebastian clarified with a wide grin. He forgot how much he enjoyed talking to Kurt. "You two will be in my neck of the woods and I was thinking that I could give you a tour of the set. If you wanted, that is."

"Yes, yes! Oh my God, YES!" Kurt screamed eagerly and Sebastian laughed. "You're not messing with me, right? This isn't some cruel joke?"

"No, this isn't a joke," Sebastian answered with amusement. "Even though you'll be here, Blaine's going to be pretty busy so I figured I'd steal you for the day."

"Oh my God, Sebastian!" Kurt said as he jumped up and down with excitement. "I would absolutely love to come visit you on set! That would be so epic! Oh but wait," Kurt paused at the sudden worry, "I think Finn might be coming with me when I go to Europe. Our parents aren't too keen on my traveling alone. Would he be able to go on the set tour too?"

"Yeah sure," Sebastian shrugged and Kurt grinned from ear to ear. "We'll have to talk about what you two can and can't do while you're on set but he's more than welcomed to join."

Kurt squealed. "Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is going to be the absolute best!"

"No problem, Hummel," Sebastian smiled. "Go spend time with your family. I'll talk to you soon."

"Alright, bye," Kurt ended the call and screamed. "FINN! YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!"

Sebastian tossed his phone on the bed and looked around his messy room. There was clothes strewn everywhere in his attempt to pack and his suitcase was still nearly empty. His Thanksgiving was lackluster this year. Every other year, he had been able to join Blaine and Cooper for the holidays and although he knew he would've been welcomed in Cooper's home, he didn't want to intrude. So instead he went to a meeting in the morning, had a Thanksgiving brunch with Megan and a few other members of his AA group, and then came home to pack. His problem now was that he had no idea what he wanted to take.

With his hands on his hips, he stood in his room and contemplated his clothing choices before deciding not to take any of it. He cleaned his room and packed away only the necessities for the next two weeks. He would buy new clothes in London when he got there. Once his luggage was packed, he took a seat on his bed and grabbed his phone. He had gone back and forth all day on whether or not he should call Hunter. Even after their phone call, Sebastian had been able to push his emotions aside and for the most part, he was numb to it all. But if he was feeling numb, it meant that Hunter was feeling pain. And while the vindictive side of him enjoyed the fact that Hunter was finally hurting, he couldn't help but feel like it was his fault.

Sebastian took a deep breath and went to his messages. He couldn't talk to Hunter right now. He couldn't handle hearing the pain in Hunter's voice, not when he was finally able to truly put aside his own pain. But he couldn't ignore Hunter all together either. He didn't have the heart to be that cruel.

From Sebastian:

Hunter, I just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I'm leaving for London tonight. I'll text you when I can.

Sebastian didn't need to wait long for a reply.

From Hunter:

Happy Thanksgiving Sebastian. I'll be here.

Sebastian smiled softly to himself. Their blowout seemed to finally open up the lines of communication between them and although they were far from being okay, it was a step in the right direction.

A/N: Hello darlings. So, I know I said that I would be updating Soul Kiss and Finally Found You during my hiatus but I didn't. I tried to get my head back into those fics but my muse is too invested in this one to cooperate and I didn't want to force it. I hope to get back to them once this is complete.

For you Huntbastian fans, in case you missed it, I did post a one-shot of them and how they met over in Boys of Dalton fic. Be sure to check that out if you're interested.

I'm sure I had more to say but I forgot what it was. It's past midnight here and officially November 10th soâ. *enter Blaine Anderson and Warblers* Happy Birthday to me!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I love you guys!

OH, one last thing! Go take a listen to Justin Timberlake's song, Drink You Away, when you get the chance. It'll come in later on and it's important to Huntbastian just as Mirrors was to Klaine. :)

We Only Part to Meet Again

A/N: Hello my darlings. I cannot thank you enough for the constant love and support. You are all seriously amazing!

The song lyrics featured in this chapter are: Kurt sings â" TKO, Sebastian sings â" Amnesia, both are Warbler songs, originally sung by Justin Timberlake whose 20/20 albums seem to have shaped a big part of this story.

Big thanks to MuseInMe3 for being an incredible beta. And extra love goes out to my girl Sabriel81. Send her lots of warm fuzzies.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

Sebastian Smythe is officially in London!

Earlier this week Smythe was spotted at the premier shopping district, no doubt buying suitable clothes for the cold weather. Smythe, who lives in the sunny city of Los Angeles, has come back to London where he first started his career to film his new movie, The Age of Misrule: World's End , which begins shooting in a few weeks. Smythe was followed around all day by photographers, news reporters, and fans. Although most celebrities find the constant attention tiring, Smythe reveled in it, allowing the photographers to take as many pictures as they wanted and even posing with several fans.

"It's great to be back in merry ol' London," Smythe had told one reporter in his best British accent. "I love being back in the city that jumped started my career."

Smythe went on record saying how excited he was for his latest film and how he couldn't wait to officially meet the rest of the cast. Many have wondered if Smythe will visit his old club spots, where he loved to hang out back when he was a fresh face in the industry. The paparazzi have even gone as far as staking the places out in hopes of a glimpse of Hollywood's playboy. But other than his shopping trip, he's been absent from the public eye. One can only assume that it's because he's preparing for his role, and as a fan of the book series, I certainly cannot wait for all the inside scoop on the no doubt Blockbuster hit in the making.

Diane Baker â" London Evening Standard

Late Sunday night, Kurt wrapped himself in his blanket and sat back against his headboard with his laptop. He reached for his ear buds and clicked the call button, only waiting a few rings before Blaine answered.

"Awe baby," Kurt cooed with a pout. "You look exhausted."

Blaine coughed a little and nodded. He was wrapped up in his own blanket and lying down in his bunk bed. "I am. Thank god we have a two day drive. I need the rest."

"Are you the first to get sick?" Kurt wondered.

Blaine shook his head. "Tony was, and now me. I heard Jeff sniffling this morning so he's next."

"And yet you managed to have an amazing show still," Kurt teased lightly. "I would know, I stalk The Warblers tag."

Blaine chuckled lightly. "Yes well, if we're all sick by the time we get to Arizona then we're not going to have a good show. David and Wes are already taking preemptive strikes against this cold. They're walking around with surgical masks and everything," Kurt laughed at the image. "Nick probably won't get sick though, he never does. And like I said, Jeff will be sick tomorrow."

"Are you taking any medication?" Kurt asked him.

"Yeah," Blaine nodded. "We have an on the road doctor so we should be alright."

Kurt pouted a little. "If I was there, I'd take care of you."

Blaine matched his pout with a smirk. "I know you would," he said with a hint of seduction and Kurt couldn't help but blush a little. "Go ahead and tell me what happened with the SSAA agent. I took some medicine right before you called so I'll be passing out soon I'm sure."

Kurt let out a small sigh of relief. "Well like I said in the text, it actually went really well. He didn't even ask me about our relationship, though I think that's because he knew me already. He was more interested in JBI's blog."

Blaine raised a confused brow. "What do you mean he knew you?"

"Mr. Butler, the agent, is a substitute teacher at McKinley," Kurt told him. "Apparently the reason he subs is because of his SSAA position. I guess it's easier for him to gain the students trust if they know him. He's a really cool easy going guy. I was shocked when I saw him."

"And he didn't ask you about us at all?" Blaine questioned. "Because that was all my agent asked me about."

Kurt shook his head. "No, not really. He was way more concerned about the blog than anything else."

"I can't thank you enough for bringing this to our attention, Kurt," Mr. Butler said. "I know the initial reason for this meeting was to evaluate you but I believe you are doing just fine. People don't seem to realize how much things like this website can truly affect a person's psyche though and we're very grateful to you for all the information."

"Of course," Kurt nodded. "Jacob's reign of terror needs to stop."

"I agree," Mr. Butler nodded with a friendly smile. "As far as your friend, give him these for me," he handed Kurt a packet of papers. "It's harder for kids like him to get a handle on things and while his coming to you is a good thing, it may not be enough. Let him know that the hotline is completely anonymous, so if he needs to talk, or even if he needs help talking to his parents, we can be there for him. We're not as scary as everyone makes us out to be."

"So you told him about Dave?" Blaine questioned with surprise.

"Yes and no. I didn't give him a name or anything. He asked me why I wanted to bring attention to the blog, other than the obvious, and I told him that I had a friend who just turned of age and that it confirmed his sexuality," Kurt explained. "And I told him how he came and talked to me about it and that JBI overheard the whole thing."

"What papers did he give you?"

"The same ones the nurse has in her office, but no one goes in there unless they're trying to get out of a test or something," Kurt replied dismissively. "Besides, I think he'll be more receptive to it if he got the info from me."

"I'm really proud of you," Blaine smiled softly. "It takes a special kind of person to put aside the crap Dave put you through and then help him in his time of need."

Kurt returned the smile and snuggled his blanket. "Thanks. I can understand where he's coming from, ya know. Even throughout all the bullying, with Tana by my side, it was easier for me than it was for him because I never lied about who I am. I can't hold a grudge against him. My parents raised me better."

Blaine nodded with understanding. "Speaking of Tana, how did the New Directions sleepover go?" he asked with a yawn.

Kurt rolled his eyes and groaned. "It went as expected. Lots of screaming and flailing and, you're fucking lying through your teeth, Hummel, though that one came from Puckerman and Zizes. They were both so convinced that I somehow photo-shopped the pictures and videos that my parents had to take them into the other room and talk them down."

"Why didn't you just show them my name?" Blaine chuckled.

"I tried, they flipped out before I could get that far," Kurt said with exasperation. "Now, they're on this, we gotta keep Hummel safe from the rats, kick," he imitated Zizes. "I swear those two are so beyond perfect for each other. I don't know why we ever questioned it."

"The most likely of pairings is often the most surprising," Blaine quoted a line from the soulmate book they were made to read in high school, his thoughts briefly shifting to Sebastian and Hunter. "Is that all you guys talked about? Or did you get any work done?"

"If by work you mean Rachel and Tana getting into it again about the solo, then yes, we got plenty of work done," Kurt replied sarcastically. "They argued here, they argued in the car on the way to school for yesterday's rehearsal, and they argued in the auditorium, while the rest us planned how to kill them both. Honestly, I'll be shocked if we win Regionals. Between the two of them constantly fighting and the perfection that is your alma mater, we're screwed."

Blaine smiled widely. "Yes well, the Dalton Academy Warblers have very high standards. They have a reputation to uphold."

"Uh, huh," Kurt deadpanned and Blaine laughed. "All I know is that their director is scarier than Sue Sylvester and that is saying something."

"And how do you know this?" Blaine asked with narrowed eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't do anything," Kurt said innocently. "ButâPuckerman and Sam may or may not have gone to spyâwith a camera," Blaine's jaw dropped in mock offense. "And they may or may not have been caught, and the director may or may not have had a few choice words for them."

"Oh I'm sure," Blaine laughed with a nod. "Hunter's not one for cheating."

"Hunter?" Kurt questioned and Blaine internally cursed for saying his name. "Is that Mr. Clarington? Do you know him?"

"Iâyes, I know him," Blaine said cautiously. "He was my roommate at Dalton."

"Oh my God, can you tell me about him? Is he as scary as he seems? Or is it all an act? Did he really wrestle an alligator at whatever military school he went to or is that just something the students say? Oh! Did he really poison the history teacher so that he could steal his job?!" he asked with a gasp.

"What? Where on earth did you hear that?" Blaine asked wide-eyed.

"That's what Mr. Schue told us," Kurt shrugged.

"Your teacher told you that Mr. Clarington poisoned the history teacher in order to steal his job?" Blaine asked and Kurt nodded. "Unbelievable," he scoffed. "I swear the more I hear about this teacher of yours, the more I dislike him. No, Mr. Clarington did no such thing. Dalton men take pride in their work and to say that he didn't earn that job on his own is beyond offensive," Kurt shrunk back a little at being scolded. "And for the record, no, he's not that scary and yes, as far I know, he did wrestle an alligator."

"Ok," Kurt said meekly. "I didn't mean to upset you, sorry."

"You didn't upset me, love. Us Dalton men are just very protective of our own. I'm sorry I snapped," Blaine spoke gently.

"It's ok," Kurt assured him. "I'm sure I've snapped at you for no reason so we're good."

Blaine chuckled. "Yes you have, but I like it when you're feisty," he said seductively, though the moment was ruined when he yawned again. "Ok, I think it's time I turn in. Will you sing me to sleep?"

Kurt melted at the request and nodded. "Anything for you."

Kurt sat in the bleachers by himself Monday during lunch, with his ear buds in, listening to The Warblers' album. It was one of those days where he was missing his beloved deeply, more so than usual, and the last thing he wanted to do was be around people. He wondered if it was because Blaine was sick and his need to take care of those he loved was in high gear. Whatever the reason, he wasn't in the mood to deal with his obnoxiously annoying friends, and he certainly wasn't in the mood to deal with the tension between Santana and Quinn. He loved his girls but they were driving him absolutely crazy. It also seemed like all of his friends who were already bonded had pulled back on their affection for each other, as if they had decided not to overwhelm Kurt with their love since Blaine was so far away. But all it did was irritate him even more.

Kurt sighed before taking a bite of his sandwich and turning up the volume. There were days where he could ignore the ache and the longing, where he could distract himself from it all. But there were other days, like today, where he seriously contemplated getting on a plane and flying to whatever city Blaine was in. He knew he couldn't though. He made a promise to himself that he would deal with the feeling of loss, that he could handle being apart for the time being, and it was a promise he refused to break. That didn't stop him from imagining what it would be like to surprise Blaine, to jump in his arms and be spun around like a scene straight out of a romance movie. Just the thought of being reunited made his heart flutter and he knew that the wait would be well worth it in the end.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in the daydream, humming along with the song. If there was one thing Kurt was absolutely certain of, it was that he would never tire of hearing Blaine and the guys sing. "I don't understand it, tell me how could you be so low," he sang out in perfect harmony with The Warblers. "Been swinging after the bell and after all of the whistle blows. Tried to go below the belt, through my chest, perfect hit to the dome, dammit babe," a stomp on the bleachers startled Kurt and he looked up to see Dave standing there watching him. "Hey," he greeted as he pulled his ear buds out.

"Hey," Dave said with a nod. "Can I sit with you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure," Kurt nodded, pausing the song and turning his full attention to Dave as he sat down next to him.

"You ever get tired of obsessing over those guys?" Dave teased lightly.

Kurt gasped in offense. "I am not obsessed, just strongly dedicated."

"Yeah, sure," Dave scoffed with a good natured smile. "Does your soulmate know you're in love with Blaine Anderson?"

Kurt pressed his lips and held back a laugh. "You can say that," he said coyly with a wink. "So, what's up?"

Dave narrowed his eyes curiously and shook his head. "It's nothing really. I justâI had an idea that I wanted to get your opinion on," Kurt nodded at him to continue. "Well, I was thinking of maybe writing him letters," he said with a small shake of his left wrist. "I wouldn't mail them or anything, but I could like, keep them in a notebook or something and just give it to him after we meet. What do you think?" he asked, continuing before Kurt could answer. "It's a stupid idea, right? I shouldn't do it. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Hey, no," Kurt quickly said, placing a comforting hand on Dave's arm. "I think it's a wonderful idea. You should totally do it."

"Yeah?" Dave asked with a shy smile.

"Yeah, definitely," Kurt nodded enthusiastically. "I think it's actually pretty romantic," Dave looked away and blushed a little. "Though I wouldn't do it in a notebook, it'd be too easy to rip the pages out. I say write it as an actual letter, put in an envelope, and then put it away in a shoe box or something. That way you can keep the letters organized and labeled how you want, and you could even give him one letter of your choosing at a time instead of all at once."

Dave contemplated it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, ok. I can do that."

"Good," Kurt smiled. "Oh yeah, I have some papers for you," he said as he reached for his messenger bag. "I didn't get them from the nurse's office so you don't have to worry about anyone seeing me with them, but I thought these could help."

Dave took the packet of papers and offered Kurt a sad smile. "Iâthank you, Kurt. And I don't just mean for this, but for being so cool about everything. I keep thinking you're going to rat me out or something and instead you just keep helping me. I'd kinda be lost without you right now so justâthanks."

"I would never do that, Dave," Kurt assured him gently. "I'm glad you came to me and I promise that I'll always be here if you need to talk. And if you don't want talk to me, you can talk to them. Either way, I got your back."

Dave nodded, folded the papers, and slipped it into his inside jacket pocket. "Thanks, man."

Kurt smiled and held his fist up. Dave smirked and pounded Kurt's fist with his own. "Sure thing. It's what friends are for."

Hunter walked down the halls of Dalton towards the Warbler common room early that afternoon. It was his free period and while usually he spent the time in his classroom grading papers, the silence was too much to bear these days. So instead he spoke with the council members and called an emergency Warbler rehearsal. Not that there was any real emergency. He just needed the distraction.

He had thought that the pain would slowly dissipate. He thought that he would be able to put his misery aside and live his life the same way he had for the past few years. But every single morning he woke up with a black hole surrounding his heart and a rain cloud over his head. He had to force himself out of bed every day or he would stay there, wrapped in a cocoon of emotional torture. He told himself every morning that if Sebastian could handle the pain, if Sebastian could live his life despite feeling like the world around him was caving in, then he could too. That didn't mean it wasn't the hardest thing he'd ever experienced. He felt like he was constantly running on empty and he admittedly worried about how long he would last before breaking.

Hunter let out a short breath and shook the thoughts of his love away, but as he entered the common room, he couldn't help but overhear his students talking about his Sebastian.

"Oh yeah, well I heard he's moving back to London to find himself a barely legal piece of ass," one boy said. Hunter halted, turning his head slightly in order to hear better.

"I don't know why he's going all the way to London for that," another boy answered. "He just needs to come back to Ohio. He'll have plenty of barely legal ass right here at Dalton."

"Like who? You?" a third boy replied.

The second boy grinned seductively. "You know it. One night with me and he'll be begging for more," he assured his friends, all of them unaware of Hunter's presence. "Smythe is a total manwhore. I heard he loves the innocent type and I'll gladly play the role for him."

"Mr. Vera," Hunter's voice rang out harshly, gaining the attention of every student. "I will not tolerate you speaking of a former Dalton Alum in such a manner."

"I was only kidding, Mr. Clarington," the boy replied with an eye roll.

"No, you weren't," Hunter said through gritted teeth, stepping closer to the senior so they were face to face. "You truly believed the crap you were just spewing and I can tell you right now that Sebastian Smythe would never in a million years give you the time of day. What you read in the tabloids about him is nothing but ridiculous gossip and you will not disrespect his name in these halls." The room was silent as Hunter had a stare off with his student. Realizing what he had done, Hunter turned away from the small group of boys and stepped towards the front of the room.

"This goes for you too, Mr. Jacobs," he spoke firmly. "Don't think I didn't hear you talking nonsense about Blaine Anderson last week. I do not care what your personal opinions are on Sebastian Smythe or The Warblers, but you will not bring them ill will in their house," he turned to face his students. "Because this is their house. That little dance you were failing miserably at Mr. Fletcher, Jeff Sterling invented that dance in this very room. Those runs you were trying to imitate, Mr. Jacobs, Blaine Anderson perfected them without even trying. That table you're currently sitting at councilmen, Duval, Anderson, and Montgomery sat there first, and before Duval, it was Smythe's seat. Do not for a moment forget who paved your way boys. We are Dalton men, through and through, and we do not disrespect or dishonor our brothers. Is that clear gentlemen?"

"Yes, sir," the Warbler boys replied in unison.

"Good. Now, I took a trip to McKinley this weekend to do a bit of my own spying-"

"I thought you said that was cheating."

"They spied first, Mr. Vera. I was merely leveling the playing field," Hunter snapped. "Do you have any other brilliant assessments or may I continue?" the student shook his head and looked down at his hands. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by the always charming, Mr. Vera," Hunter said sarcastically. "I spied on the New Directions and if any of you think that we are in the clear for Regionals simply because of our legacy, than you are highly mistaken. Once they got passed the bickering and actually rehearsed, I saw just how formidable they are. They have some very powerful vocalists and a flawless counter tenor."

A counter tenor Hunter guessed to be Blaine's soulmate. He didn't know for sure, but he still remembered the name from years ago. He remembered how terrified he had been that Fate would play an awful trick and that Sebastian's name would appear on Blaine's wrist. So when Blaine told him that Kurt E. Hummel was the name of his soulmate, Hunter all but laughed with relief. He'd been following the media on them ever since Blaine found Kurt and he couldn't help but wonder if Kurt knew the truth of Sebastian's and Blaine's past. A truth he was now beginning to question. Was it all real? Was it as bad as he originally thought? Did Blaine truly betray him like he believed for years, or did he really let his old insecurities cloud his judgment?

"Their biggest mistake right now is not showcasing this young man's impressive vocals. Let's hope it stays that way or we are in very real trouble. We have Regionals in exactly three weeks, gentlemen. Playtime is over," Hunter took a seat in the chair facing their stage. "Whenever you're ready, council, show me what you've got."

As the Warbler boys scattered about to get ready, Hunter pulled his phone out of his pocket. He went into his contacts and clicked on Sebastian's info. His thumb caressed the picture on the screen, a single tear escaping before he caught himself. With a deep breath, he subtly wiped the tear away and pocketed his phone. I can do this, he told himself. Don't give up hope yet. He'll call when he's ready. The last five words had become his mantra lately, and he was desperately trying to hold onto it.

Hunter exited the Warbler room as soon as he approved of their performance and hurried to his classroom. His memories seemed to be overwhelming him today and he was having a difficult time keeping his emotions in check. He entered his empty classroom and closed the door behind him before plopping down in his chair. He only got a few moments of silence though before his door opened.

"Young man."

Hunter internally cringed at the voice. He knew that tone all too well and though it was rarely directed at him, he knew that it meant he was in trouble. He looked up at Mrs. Montgomery who was standing at his door. "Yes, Mrs. Mont-"

"Ah," Mrs. Montgomery held her hand up and cut him off. She walked into his classroom and shut the door behind her before locking it. "This is not a business call, Hunter," she said as she walked over to his desk, her tone much softer. "There's no Mr. or Mrs. in here right now."

Hunter's shoulders slumped as she took a seat in the chair next to his desk. He had been avoiding her for days and he knew his time for running was over. "Yes, ma'am," he spoke quietly, feeling more like a teenager and less like an adult.

"What's been going on with you, sweetheart," Mrs. Montgomery asked gently. "You haven't been yourself lately."

Hunter stayed quiet for a moment, his eyes downcast, and when he spoke, it was barely a whisper. "I spoke with him, with Sebastian." Mrs. Montgomery said nothing and waited for him to continue. "He asked me to go to London with him, gave me an ultimatum and I said no," Hunter looked up with tear filled eyes. "And as soon as I said no, I felt like my entire world shattered. And now he's gone and I'm left here wondering if he'll ever return."

"Am I to assume that Sebastian is now a bit numb to the world?" Mrs. Montgomery asked. "The way you were not but a few weeks ago?"

Hunter nodded slowly. "I think so, yeah. I guess it's that whole transference of emotion thing."

Mrs. Montgomery placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Then stop wondering and start having faith," she spoke with soft authority. "If that is what's happened between you then it means that he still loves you, deeply."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Mrs. Montgomery smiled gently. "I'm not the Soulmate Advisor just for a fancy title, son. I know you're hurting, but hang in there and have some faith. He'll come back when he's ready."

Hunter matched her smile and nodded, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "Thanks, Mama."

Blaine was absolutely miserable. It was just past four in the afternoon and he had no recollection of where his day went. With the exception of a few phone calls with Kurt, he had been unconscious most of the day. When he woke this morning, the pounding in his head was worse than any hangover and the fever had refused to break. He was on a strict liquid diet and a medicinal regimen that would hopefully knock the cold out by tomorrow.

He was currently balled up on the couch in the back room of the bus with a multitude of blankets. His head hurt too much to watch TV but he was too wired to fall asleep again so instead he laid there and thought about how much he missed Kurt. He would give anything right now to hear his love's soothing voice but at the same time, he didn't want to worry Kurt any more than he already had. Kurt had actually told him that he was going to get on a flight and come take care of him but Blaine insisted that he stay in school. The last thing he wanted was for Kurt to see him like this, or worse, get sick himself. So no matter how badly he wanted his soulmate, no matter how badly he needed him, he would not call Kurt.

"This sucks!" he yelled out to no one before falling into a coughing fit.

"Yeah well, it's no picnic for us either," Wes' voice rang out from the doorway.

Blaine glanced up to see Wes in a face mask and surgical gloves, and groaned. "Go away, Wesley," he whined.

Wes smirked and entered the infection infested room. "Oh, so you don't want to know what my mother and I just talked about," he said as he took a seat a few feet away from Blaine. "She said she hopes you feel better, by the way."

Blaine groaned quietly and forced himself to sit up. "What did you two talk about?" he asked suspiciously. Wes gave him a look and a sudden wave of energy coursed through him. "About Seb and Hunter? What did she say?" he asked eagerly before coughing again.

Wes cringed and moved further away. "Not much, just that Hunter's having a hard time right now."

Blaine reached for his water bottle and took a few sips. "How come? Is he alright?"

Wes shrugged. "As alright as he can be I guess. She wouldn't say much but from what I've gathered, Sebastian and Hunter have talked and although she hasn't spoken with Sebastian, she's thinking he's not exactly doing well either."

Blaine nodded, only to groan in pain from the motion. "I'll text Seb in a little bit, see if I can get him to talk to me."

"And I'll give Hunter another call. He seems to be avoiding me," Wes sighed, turning towards the door as David walked in with a bowl of soup. "Oh dear Lord," he muttered with a shake of his head.

Blaine turned to David and scowled. "Don't you think that's a bit much?" he asked with annoyance. David wasn't wearing a mask and gloves, but a full body medical suit with a complete face shield attached.

David set the bowl of soup down on the pullout table and quickly stepped away from Blaine. "No way, brotha. You two are death right now and I ain't taking no chances."

"Not cool, man!" Jeff's voice rang out from inside his bunk bed where Nick was curled up next to him. He wasn't nearly as sick as Blaine but the cold took a firm hold on his lungs.

"It's the truth," David shouted back. "If I could fit a bubble ball in here, I totally would."

"You could," Jeff called out. "Body bubble suit."

David grinned underneath the mask at the brilliant idea. "And that is why you are my favorite," he said to Jeff who merely stuck his hand out of the bottom bunk and gave David a thumbs up before retreating. "Eat your soup, Blainers," David instructed and started making his way out.

As David walked past the bunk beds though, Jeff stealthily slipped his hand out and grabbed David's ankle. David yelped, jumping a few feet in the air at the sudden contact. "No! Don't touch me!" He shouted frantically.

Jeff fell into a fit of laughter as David freaked out and yelled about germs before falling into a coughing fit. Nick soothed Jeff's chest as he half laughed half coughed, Blaine holding back his own laughter as best he could while Wes simply shook his head.

"I hate you Jeffrey! With a damn passion!" David shouted and Jeff only laughed harder. "You're not my favorite anymore!"

"But you're mine!" Jeff responded through his fits. When he finally calmed down, he held Nick's hand over his chest and groaned at the pain. "Fuck that hurts, but damn that shit was funny."

Nick chuckled and kissed his cheek. "You wouldn't be laughing if you passed out from being unable to breath."

Jeff hummed with a smirk. "It so would've been worth it."

"I'll let you get some rest," Wes said to Blaine as he stood up. "Eat your soup, take your meds, and pass out again."

"Yes, sir," Blaine nodded with an eye roll though a smirk played at his lips.

He waited until Wes left before scooting over to the bowl of soup. He hummed with appreciation as the hot liquid traveled down his throat before grabbing his phone and going into his messages.

To Kurt:

Would the fans be mad at me if I murdered David?

To Sebastian:

I feel like death.

He took another spoonful before a new text came in.

To Blaine:

Yes, honey. The fans would probably hate you if you murdered David. What did he do?

To Kurt:

Asshole is wearing one of those hazmat suits. He's covered head to toe because apparently Jeff and I are walking death. I hate him.

To Blaine:

Lol sorry but there's a good chance I would've worn one too had I come up there. Sue would kill me if I got sick with competition next week.

To Kurt:

MEANIE!

No, not really. I'd forgive you as long as you gave me a special kiss down under. ;)

Blaine grinned wickedly at his reply. He would bet his entire fortune on the fact that Kurt was blushing right now.

To Blaine:

I'm in rehearsals! You can't say things like that!

Blaine laughed to himself before replying one last time.

To Kurt:

I'd say sorry but I'm not. ;p I'm going to go pass out again. Love you. Have a good rehearsal.

To Blaine:

Love you too. Feel better. Call me later.

Blaine went to set his phone down but decided to send Sebastian one more text. Once he hit send, he tossed his cell phone on the couch and finished his bowl of soup.

To Sebastian:

I just remembered the time difference. I hope I didn't wake you. Just know that I am dying and Jeff is well on his way.

Sebastian read the texts but didn't reply. He'd let Blaine think he was sleeping and answer in the morning when he knew Blaine would be asleep. He did feel bad that his best friend was feeling so ill though. It was one of the biggest drawbacks of traveling all the time. He would know. While he wasn't sick yet, he could feel the tickle in his throat hinting at the oncoming cold.

He left his phone on the table in the living room and walked out to the terrace that overlooked the Thames River. He was staying in a Royal Suite at the Savoy in London and though he didn't need the space nor particularly cared about the luxury, he did love the privacy. He pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt as the breeze rolled in and grabbed his cigarettes out of his pocket. He knew he shouldn't be smoking, that he was merely substituting one substance for another, but he didn't care. He lit the cigarette, took a slow deep drag, and leaned on the railing.

The only things he felt right now was the chill in the air, the tickle in his throat, and the sympathy for Blaine. Everything else was muted. Every emotion, every fleeting thought, was as numb as a patient on Novocain. He was numb to the world and he wasn't even sure how he was supposed to feel about it. He thought he would be happy about not being able to feel the pain that Hunter caused him. He thought he would be relieved. And for a few days, he was. But as he walked down the familiar streets of London and he thought back to when he got his first break here, he felt nothing. No joy. No relief. No excitement for his new role. All he felt was stress and that was why he was smoking. Not that it excused his nasty habit. He actually hated that he smoked, almost as much as he hated how he drank. But that didn't stop him from taking another drag.

The view was beautiful but he was too dead inside to enjoy it. In a lot of ways, he didn't feel like himself anymore. He wondered how Hunter handled feeling so empty. "I could feel it almost start to change. But then it hurts too much, that's when it starts to fade," he sang out to the night quietly, his thoughts consumed with Hunter. "So cold baby, now I'm going crazy. I don't know why you'd leave me alone. If it was true, if it was you, don't you think, don't you think I would know?" a single tear streamed down his face though he felt no sadness, only overwhelming emptiness. "Amnesia, every memory fades away till it's gone. Where did you go? Amnesia, everything and nothing, no 'we' anymore, he's a stranger that I used to know."

Back in Ohio, Hunter felt a sharp pain in his heart and in front of the student he was tutoring, he couldn't control the quiet sob that escaped his lips.

A/N: I hope you liked it. See ya next time. :)

Everything's In Line

A/N: Hello my lovelies. As always, thank you so much for the love and support. You're all amazing.

Quick fyi, in the last chapter Hunter said they had four weeks to Regionals, he was wrong. It was actually three weeks.

Be sure to read the note about this story at the end of the chapter. :)

Thanks MuseInMe3 for being such an incredible beta.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination. And an autographed copy of TLOS2 because Chris came to Houston! (still not over meeting him)

The Boys Are Back In Town!

The last few months have flown by and during that time, The Warblers performed in 48 states! They've been travelling around in style on their decked out buses for months, and yet, living in such close quarters, only made them better. Where other bands may have suffered from infighting, the only oversharing problem the Warblers had resulted in Anderson, Sterling, and Thompson, along with several crew members, catching a nasty cold. Surprisingly, even that didn't slow them down. There is no denying that these young men have taken their careers to a whole new level with this tour, impressing fans and media alike.

The Warblers are currently on their way to California to wrap up the first leg of their tour. Their first stop will be in Sacramento on Friday, followed by Fresno on Saturday, and finally, Los Angeles on Sunday. Rumors are flying that they will be joined by some special guests at that final show. Any guesses about who they might be? I can't give you any hints, yet. But I will have the best seats come concert day and I'm going to share them with all of you.

Get ready Warbler fans! I'll be bringing you exclusive backstage videos as the band prepares to take the stage for their final concert of the year. And who knows what kind of juicy secrets we may uncover!

Perez Hill

Kurt was anxious. It had been two weeks since his meeting with the SSAA and nothing had changed. As Christmas break approached, his worry doubled. As long as the blog stayed up, he and Blaine couldn't go public, and Kurt was desperate to be able to talk about Blaine aloud. The New Directions had already come close to spilling his secret multiple times and he wasn't sure how much longer they would last. In addition, Regionals was this weekend and they had yet to finalize their songs, and Santana would turn 18 on Friday. Kurt was beyond stressed at this point.

Kurt closed his locker door and leaned on it with a deep sigh. Five more days and he'd be in Blaine's arms. The past month had been torture and not just because he missed Blaine, but because his friends were driving him crazy. Between the constant questions about Blaine and The Warblers, the arguing over songs, and the stress over Jacob's blog, Kurt felt like his head was going to explode. He was beyond ready for Christmas vacation.

A sudden high pitched screech down the hall made Kurt's inside churn violently. "What in the hell," he muttered as he and several other students investigated.

"THEY TOOK EVERYTHING!" Jacob screamed out in agony as he frantically searched through his locker. "THEY CAN'T DO THAT!"

Kurt ducked behind the corner as the crowd gathered around Jacob, peeking his head out to see what was going on. Jacob continued to scream as if his entire world had shattered, even going as far as throwing things out of his locker. Kurt could only guess why and for a fleeting moment, he felt kind of bad.

"What's going on?"

Kurt jumped at Dave's hushed voice behind him. "Jesus Christ! You scared the shit out of me!"

Dave smirked and shrugged, his eyes shifting over to the scene Jacob was causing. Three men in black suits appeared out of thin air and Jacob freaked out more. Two of them grabbed Jacob's flailing arms and began dragging him away while the third picked up the mess Jacob made. Kurt and Dave pulled back as the men walked past with a distraught Jacob. Neither noticed the third man until he was standing right in front of them.

"Mr. Hummel, Mr. Karofsky," Mr. Butler greeted with a friendly smile. "Always a pleasure to see you."

"Mr. Butler," Kurt squeaked in surprise. "Hello."

Dave glanced at Kurt curiously before turning to the substitute teacher. "Hey Mr. B. You here to sub again?" he asked with confusion.

"No, not today," Mr. Butler replied. "I'm here on official business." It was then that they noticed his briefcase with the SSAA stamp on it. "Why don't you go on and get to class. There's nothing to see here." Both boys nodded but neither moved. "Enjoy your holidays," he said with a wink at Kurt and walked off.

Dave turned to Kurt with wide eyes. "What the hell was that, Hummel?" Instead of answering though, Kurt pulled out his phone and tried going to Jacob's blog. A slow smile crept up his face when the browser said the page no longer existed. Dave looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?" he asked with a smirk.

"Iâwellâ" Kurt bit his lip and trailed off.

"Well?"

The warning bell rang and Kurt chuckled nervously. "Oh no, the bell. Sorry. Can't be late for class. See ya, Dave," he said quickly and ran off.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Santana shouted, the only thing holding her back was Quinn's arms. "WE ARE NOT DOING CHRISTMAS SONGS FOR REGIONALS!"

"It's a brilliant idea!" Rachel argued from the front of the classroom. "They wouldn't have set Regionals for the beginning of Christmas break if they didn't want Holiday songs!"

Kurt sat in his seat next to Brittany and rubbed his temples. They'd been at it for over an hour and he was about to walk out for good. Screw Regionals.

"YOU DON'T EVEN CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS!"

"Then we'll do songs for all the winter holidays! It'll be perfect!" Rachel exclaimed with a clap.

"Oh that is it!" Santana broke free of Quinn's grasp and stormed up to Rachel. "Listen here, hobbit. We are not doing holiday songs! We will lose!"

"I don't believe that. I think-"

"I don't care what you think!" Santana snapped. "This is a terrible idea! Back me up here guys," she said to the room.

The New Directions nodded and muttered their consent. Rachel gasped when she saw Finn hesitantly nodding. "Finn, don't let her push you into agreeing with her!"

"I'm not," Finn said meekly. "I honestly don't think singing Christmas songs is a good idea. And no offense, I love you and all, but it's usually you who's pushing me into agreeing into something I don't like."

"Finn!"

"It's true! You and I, together, are supposed to be co-captains and it's always just what you say, what you think is right," Finn replied firmly. "Well, I'm sorry but I can't agree with you here."

Rachel bristled and crossed her arms. "And you all feel this way?" she asked and everyone nodded. "Fine. From now on, I'm not stating my clearly superior opinions anymore. You can all lose Regionals without me."

Rachel turned on her heel to walk out of the room but Santana stepped in her way. "Sit your midget ass down, Yentl. You ain't going nowhere until we figure this shit out."

"You can't keep me here!"

"Try me," Santana challenged.

"Alright, enough," Mr. Schue's voice finally rang out from the back of the room. "Rachel, please take a seat. You and I both know that you're not really quitting and we do not have time for another tantrum. Regionals is this weekend and we need you to help us figure this out, not dictate us."

"Coming from the man who lets her reign," Quinn said with an eye roll.

Kurt raised his hand. "Mr. Schue, if I may?" he said before Mr. Schue had the opportunity to scold Quinn. "What we need to do is choose our soloist and their song. Once we have that done, the other two songs will be easy to pick." Rachel opened her mouth to speak but Kurt cut her off. "I say we let Tana sing the song she's been dying to sing for the past month and then vote between her and Rachel."

"Why can't I sing?" Rachel asked disgruntled. "Why does she get to sing and I don't?!"

"Because you already sang today, Rach," Kurt said with a groan. "Three times in fact. We know what your choices are. For once in your life, please just step back."

With a frustrated grunt, Rachel took her seat next to Finn without looking his way. Finn decided not to care. If they truly were soulmates, she was going to need to accept that not everything was about her and he needed to learn to stand up for himself.

Santana walked to the front of the classroom with a swagger only she could pull off, but even though her stance was strong, her soft expression spoke volumes. "As we all know, my birthday is Friday. For that reason alone, I believe that I would be the perfect candidate for this solo," Rachel rolled her eyes but Santana ignored her and continued. "And since Rachel is always going on and on about having emotional performances," she drawled sarcastically. "I can guarantee you that with the song I'm about to sing and my soul waking up or whatever, I will be able to deliver the most flawless performance any of you have ever seen."

"That's doubtful," Rachel muttered.

Mr. Schue turned to her. "That's enough, Rachel," he turned back to Santana with a forced smile. "Whenever you're ready, Santana."

"Jeez, Mr. Schue, at least try and sound a little enthusiastic," Quinn snapped.

Mr. Schue gritted his teeth but said nothing and looked at Santana expectantly. Santana nodded at Brad to begin before closing her eyes and allowing herself to fall into the emotional roller coaster she'd been feeling for so long. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but this song was for Quinn.

I can't sleep tonight

Wide awake and so confused

Everything's in line

But I am bruised

I need a voice to echo

I need a light to take me home

I kinda need a hero

Is it you?

The room was still as Santana poured her heart out. Her eyes never left the floor, too worried that she'd confess her love to Quinn in the middle of the song if she looked up. Quinn's heart melted and every word hit her like a ton of bricks. It was then she realized how much she truly dreaded Santana's birthday.

I never see the forest for the trees

I could really use your melody

Baby I'm a little blind

I think it's time for you to find me

Santana's voice was strong, but her face was filled with hurt and vulnerability. When she finally lifted her eyes, they landed on Quinn for only a second and Santana's entire being called out to her. She ignored the feeling though and sang out with every emotion.

Can you be my nightingale?

Sing to me

I know you're there

You could be my sanity

Bring me peace

Sing me to sleep

Say you'll be my nightingale

Santana ended her song with closed eyes and her hands held together by her heart. There wasn't a single person in that room that didn't feel her sorrow, or her hope. Rachel held back tears that wanted to flow. She didn't want to admit defeat, but she couldn't deny Santana's performance was anything less than flawless.

"I must say, Santana," Rachel started, clearing her throat to even out her voice. "That was really very beautiful. I think giving you the solo, with that song, would be a very good idea." She still felt that doing holiday songs would be best but she decided not to argue. If they lost, she would rub it in their faces for the rest of the year. But if they won, she would be one step closer to having a friendship with Santana, a friendship she desperately wanted even though she hated to admit it.

"Thank you," Santana stated simply, pulling herself back in entirely, too afraid to look anywhere else but Mr. Schue's face.

Mr. Schue stood up and walked to her, wrapping his arms around her despite the look of distaste on her face. "That was very moving, Santana." Santana shrugged him off and walked back to her seat between Kurt and Quinn. "Now that we finally have that settled, let's decide on our final two songs. We have a lot of work to do this week guys but I know we can do this!"

Quinn looked down at her fingernails and tuned Mr. Schue out, uncrossing and recrossing her legs so that her foot subtly nudged Santana's leg. Santana looked down at the contact but didn't look up at Quinn. The simple touch did settle her emotions though and without thought, she recrossed her own legs so that her foot could intertwine with Quinn's. It took her a moment to realize what she'd done and it sent a shiver down her spine. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

Kurt grumbled and reached for his phone to shut off his alarm. He would forever hate Rachel for making them show up at school two hours early to rehearse for Regionals tomorrow. He stretched his body out and it was then he realized that Santana was not in bed with him. He had stayed the night with her, knowing that she would need someone to talk to when she woke up. The fact that she wasn't in bed worried him.

"Tana?" He called out but received no response. "Tana?" he spoke louder.

"It's not coming off," Kurt heard her say from outside her bedroom door. With a small groan, he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom across her bedroom. "It's not coming off!" she said again with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Tana," Kurt said sympathetically. "I tried that with Blaine, remember? It's not going to come off."

"This isn't happening. This can't be happening."

Kurt stood in the doorway and crossed his arms. "Tana, you need to stop."

"But it's not coming off!" Santana cried.

"And it's not going to," Kurt said firmly, stepping into the bathroom and grabbing hold of her shaking hands. He let the water run over them to wash off the soap, just like his father had, and then froze when he saw the name, Lucy Q. Fabray. "Oh my God!" he gasped.

"I can't do this," Santana shook her head frantically. "I can't do this."

Kurt let go of her hands and cupped her face. "Breathe, Tana. It's fine. Everything's going to be fine."

"No, you don't understand," Santana tried to argue. "She's going to be so disappointed that she's stuck with me!"

"Trust me, she won't," Kurt assured her with a small smile. "You need to calm down before you give yourself a heart attack. And I'm really sorry to say this but we have to be at school in less than an hour."

"I'm not going," Santana said through shallow breaths. "I can't. No, no, no, no, no." She pulled away from Kurt and ran into her room, jumping into bed and pulling the blankets over her head. "No puedo. Esto no estÃ¡ sucediendo."

Kurt sighed as he walked into the room, holding back his giddiness for the time being. "You have to, and it is happening," he told her as he grabbed the sheets and forced them off her. "You wanted the solo, remember? I know you're in shock but we have Regionals tomorrow. You need to get your ass up and deal with this shit."

"I can't do this," Santana shook her head. "I can't see her."

"You're going to, in less than an hour. I suggest you make yourself look extra sexy and go get your damn girl," Kurt grabbed her by the arms and forced her out of bed.

"I can't tell her. I can't."

"Tell her, don't tell her. I don't care," Kurt snapped. "Get your ass up and grow some fucking balls. We need you to win." Santana whined as Kurt forcefully walked her into the bathroom. "Take a damn shower and hurry the hell up, Tana!"

Santana's mother walked into the hallway with a smile. She had been awake before Santana and had been the first person to see Quinn's name. She tried to calm Santana down but her daughter wouldn't hear it and after fifteen minutes, she walked away knowing that Kurt would probably be a better help than her.

"Oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!" Kurt whispered excitedly when he saw Mrs. Lopez.

"I know!" Mrs. Lopez whispered back with a quiet clap. "Oh I'm so happy for her, Kurt! Quinn is amazing!"

"I know!" Kurt replied with an enthusiastic nod. "And Q's been in love with her for years!"

Mrs. Lopez grasped her heart. "She has?" she asked in awe.

"She has," Kurt confirmed. "I found out a few months ago but I couldn't say anything."

Mrs. Lopez breathed in relief. "Thank God. Ok, don't say anything. She needs to find out on her own," Kurt nodded. "I'm going to go make her favorite breakfast. Oh I can't wait until they're together!" Kurt laughed as Mrs. Lopez scurried off happily, then he walked back into Santana's room to pick out an outfit for her. There was no way in hell he was letting her wear her Cheerios uniform today.

Inside the bathroom, instead of taking a shower, Santana fingered herself to thoughts of Quinn until she came with a shudder. She then began laughing almost manically at the realization that Quinn Fabray was meant to be hers. Screw waiting to tell her. They were going to get acquainted in the girl's room as soon as she got to school.

The car ride to school had been hell for both of them. One moment Santana was yelling at Kurt to stop driving like her Abuela and the next she was hyperventilating. By the time they drove into the parking lot, Santana was back to being determined and ready to claim Quinn as hers. But as they walked into the building and saw Quinn waiting for them by her locker, Santana lost her cool once more.

"Oh my God, I'm getting that under boob sweat again," Santana said frantically. "I can't do this. I can't. No, no, no. No way. I can't."

Kurt grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Get ahold of yourself before I slap some sense into you!" Santana inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath. "Go to the Cheerios bathroom and calm the fuck down, ok?" Santana gulped and nodded before scurrying off without so much as a glance towards Quinn who was walking their way. Kurt hurried to Quinn's side. "Tana's waiting for you in the bathroom. Go talk to her," he said in one breath before walking past her.

"Kurt!" Quinn called out to him but he ignored her and turned the corner. "Fuck," she muttered to herself and headed to the bathroom anxiously, her heart already breaking at the possibility of not being Santana's soulmate. Today was going to be harder than she thought.

Quinn waited outside the bathroom door for a few minutes before swallowing her heartbreak and pushing the door open. No matter what happened, Santana needed her to be there, especially with Kurt leaving for California tomorrow. She needed to put her feelings aside and help Santana through whatever she was dealing with.

"Hey," she said cautiously when she saw Santana pacing. "You ok?"

Santana looked at her with frantic eyes. She opened her mouth but then quickly shut it. Quinn said nothing as Santana stared, her eyes gravitating to the brown cuff on Santana's wrist. In that moment, Santana saw the fear and the pain clear as day on Quinn's face and she couldn't take it any longer. With two long strides, Santana was pushing Quinn against the bathroom door and thrusting her tongue in Quinn's mouth without warning. Quinn moaned out of sheer shock, her lips falling into a rhythm with Santana's. Her entire body was on fire from the sudden intrusion and it made her yearn for Santana's touch. As if reading her mind, Santana's knee parted Quinn's legs and lifted her slightly, her hand grabbing hold of Quinn's thigh and her nails digging in.

Quinn gasped as her mind caught up with what was happening and pulled her head back. "Santana?" she questioned in a whisper.

Santana brought her hand up to her mouth and unclipped her cuff with her teeth. "You're mine, Q," she said huskily. "All mine."

Quinn laughed a bit hysterically at the sight of her name. "Fucking finally," she said before pulling Santana into another kiss.

Santana pulled away with a relieved breath. "You aren't pissed that you're stuck with me?"

"I'm only pissed I wasted so much time pining over you instead of telling you how I felt," Quinn replied with a shake of her head. "I'm in love with you Tana, have been for years."

Santana rested her forehead on Quinn's. "I thought I was going crazy," she admitted quietly. "I didn't know what I felt for you was real."

"It's real," Quinn whispered, grinding her hips down on Santana's leg, moaning at the delicious friction. "I'm yours."

"Quinnie," Santana groaned. She could feel Quinn's wetness soak through her underwear and the satisfaction she felt from being the reason behind it was overwhelming. "Fuck I can't wait to take you home," she breathed.

"Who says you have to wait," Quinn said with another grind of her hips. Santana's eyes darkened at Quinn's words. She licked her lips, her hand slowly trailing up Quinn's skirt and around to her ass. Quinn threw her head back against the door as Santana's lips suddenly attacked her neck. "You feel better than any fantasy I've ever had."

Santana chuckled against her skin. "Just you wait, Quinn Fabray," she said seductively, looking up at Quinn through her lashes. "This is only the beginning."

"Where are Quinn and Santana?" Rachel huffed in aggravation. "Rehearsal started twenty minutes ago!"

Kurt and Brittany glanced at each other and smirked. As soon as Kurt walked into the room, he whispered the news to Brittany and she reacted instantly, pulling Kurt into her arms and jumping up and down with excitement. The rest of the glee club looked their way questioningly for only a moment before bringing their attention back to Rachel who had been lecturing them on proper costume care.

"What do you two know over there?" Puck asked suspiciously. Before either could think of an answer, a smug Santana and sated Quinn walked into the classroom holding hands. The New Directions gasped.

"I KNEW IT!" Lauren shouted. "Pay up, Puckerman!" Puck cursed under his breath as he pulled out twenty dollars to hand over to his soulmate.

The Glee club stood shell shocked while Kurt and Brittany clapped giddily. "Yeah, that's right bitches," Santana grinned. "Quinn Fabray belongs to me. Get the fuck over it and get in places. We have a competition to win."

Kurt stood in front of the mirror in the boy's bathroom Saturday morning, fixing his hair one last time before they had to take their places backstage. He didn't even care about whether or not they won right now. All he cared about was the driver Blaine hired to pick him from school once they returned from Regionals. His bags were packed and waiting for him in his car and the plans for once he arrived in California were set. He just needed to get through the day and by tonight he would be in Blaine's arms.

"I'm telling you, he's totally losing it," Kurt overheard a Dalton Academy Warbler say to another at the urinals. Kurt scrunched his nose in distaste. He hated it when guys talked to each other while taking a piss. "Ever since that breakdown he had he's been a total whack job."

The boys flushed their urinals and walked to the sinks. "What do you think's wrong with him?" the second Warbler boy asked. "Mr. Clarington's always been real level. What's making him act so crazy?"

"Hell if I know but if we lose today, I'm blaming him."

"When you lose today," Kurt cut in. "It's because your performance was mediocre, not because of your director."

"Excuse me?" the first boy said with a raised eyebrow. "We weren't talking to you, so mind your own business."

"You're bashing your teacher in front of the competition, in the bathroom no less. It became my business as soon as you opened your over privileged mouth," Kurt said defensively, turning to them with a glare. "And another thing, aren't Dalton men supposed to look out for each other, be there for one another no matter what and all that jazz? How insulting is it of you to talk crap about your leaders?"

The first boy scoffed and crossed his arms. "What the hell do you know, public school?"

"Oh, public school," Kurt mocked. "I'm so offended," he rolled his eyes and turned back to the mirror. "And believe me, I know more than you think."

"Whatever," the boy muttered. "Let's go," he said to the other before walking out.

Kurt pulled out his phone and went into Voxer, a walkie talkie app he and Blaine recently started using. "I think you took whatever class the Warblers had left when you graduated, babe. I just met two and they were seriously snobby, smug little bastards."

"Of course they were," Blaine's voice rang out a few minutes later. "They're about to kick some major show choir ass. Why wouldn't they be confident?" he teased.

"There's confidence and then there's arrogance, Anderson," Kurt quipped. "And I can arrogantly say that they will lose, big time."

Blaine's laugh filled the bathroom. "Whatever you say, love. Good luck. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," Kurt replied before setting his phone on silent and walking out.

Once the door closed, Hunter opened the stall he'd been hiding in. He wasn't surprised by his students talking badly about him. He knew he was a mess. What shocked him to the core was that Kurt Hummel, of all people, defended him. Did Kurt know about him or his history with Blaine? Had Blaine told him what happened between him and Sebastian? He knew that Sebastian and Kurt had a friendship of sorts because of their Twitter interactions but had he told Kurt that they were soulmates? Had Sebastian mentioned him at all? With a deep breath Hunter turned the faucet on and splashed his face with water. He couldn't think about Sebastian right now. He didn't need to have another breakdown in front of his students.

"Warblers, listen up," Hunter called out. The students all turned to him attentively. He held his cellphone in the air. "The floor is yours, gentlemen."

"Hey guys," Blaine's voice rang out through the speaker. The Dalton boys gasped with excitement. "How's it going?"

"Good!" the boys shouted in unison.

"That's awesome to hear," David said. "We have to get ready for our own show but we wanted to wish you all good luck."

"We're so proud of you guys. Nothing brings us more joy than knowing that you're in the hands of our friend and brother, Mr. Clarington," Wes said. "Have fun out there and always remember, once a Warbler,"

"Always a Warbler!" The boys yelled out in unison.

"Places, boys," Hunter instructed before turning off speakerphone and bringing the phone to his ear. "Thanks for that guys. They seem to have forgotten the importance of brotherhood."

"It's no problem, man," Wes replied and Hunter could tell he was no longer on speakerphone either. "Listen, while I have you on the phone, Vanessa and I are planning on taking a trip to Ohio for Christmas. You're coming to mom's for Christmas dinner, right? I'd love to see you."

"Yeah, I'll be there," Hunter assured him with a small smile. "Wouldn't miss it."

"Seriously, B? Can't this wait?" David asked with smirk though there was real concern in his voice. "The show starts-"

"In seven hours," Blaine cut in. "I'll be back in time David, I swear. But I gotta head home and get things ready for Kurt's arrival."

"You're cutting it close, Blaine," Nick said seriously.

"I know, but we'll be good, alright?" Blaine assured them. "It's only an hour there and an hour back by plane, and I don't have that much to do. I just gotta make sure everything's set. It's only 1:30, I have plenty of time."

"Alright, alright," David conceded, knowing there was no way to change Blaine's mind about using the private jet to fly to LA for a few hours. "Be safe. We'll see you soon." Blaine gave them a nod and a smile and hurried out with Tony.

Kurt's jaw dropped when the winner was announced. He couldn't believe it. They tied with the Warblers. Out of the three schools, McKinley was the only one who hadn't done a Christmas theme. While Aural Intensity's performance was lackluster, the Dalton Academy Warblers' performance was flawless. They had put a new spin on Christmas classics and Kurt hated admitting how well they had truly done. There was a moment when he thought that they would actually lose and he could already hear Rachel bitching about needing to listen to her. But when he saw the worried looks on the Warblers faces after New Directions performed, he became confident that they would win.

"Can they do that?" he whispered to Finn. "Can they send us both to Nationals?"

Finn shrugged, his eyes on Mr. Schue who was shaking hands with Mr. Clarington. "I guess so."

Kurt glanced at the surprised faces around him before his gaze landed on the two boys from earlier, both sending him smug expressions. He scowled. "I don't care how we do it but we are beating them at Nationals," he told Finn through gritted teeth.

The students started heading off stage but Kurt stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Mr. Clarington. "Mr. Hummel. It's a pleasure to meet you," Hunter said politely.

Kurt raised a brow and shook his hand. "Um, thanks. How do you know my name?"

Hunter let out a small chuckle. "I know more than you think," he repeated Kurt's words and Kurt visibly paled. "No worries. Your secret's been safe with me for a very long time."

"Uhâ"

"I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon," Hunter spoke quietly before walking off.

Kurt stood in his spot and watched Hunter walk away with shock and growing curiosity. Who was this man and how much did he actually know?

"Kurt, let's go."

Kurt shook it off and walked to Mr. Schue. He'd ask Blaine about it later.

"What do you say, guys? Pizza party at Lou's Pizza Parlor? My treat," Mr. Schue announced with excitement as the bus drove out of the parking lot.

"We're down," Puck said with a nod, the New Directions already discussing what kind of pizza to order. "We ain't passing up free food."

"We need to go back to school first," Santana shouted over everyone. "Kurt's got something to do."

"Whatever it is can wait," Mr. Schue said with a pointed look. "We're celebrating our win as a team, and that means everyone."

"What win?" Kurt scoffed. "We tied. That's not winning. And I got places to be. I need to head back to school."

"What you need is an attitude adjustment, Kurt," Mr. Schue scolded. "Your behavior lately has been-"

"Blah, blah, blah," Kurt cut him off angrily. There was no way in hell he was missing his flight for some lame ass pizza party. "What I need to do is head back to school," he said with a firmness that Mr. Schue had never heard before. "If you've got a problem with that, or with my attitude, you can take it up with my father. In fact, call him right now. He'll tell you that I need to get back immediately."

"And what exactly is so important?"

"None of your business."

"It is my business when-"

"No it's not!" Kurt shouted over him. "You can't force me to go to some stupid pizza party that we don't even deserve because we didn't win! And if you don't take us to school first so that I can be on my way, there will be hell to pay."

"Let's just have the party in the classroom, Mr. Schue," Rachel suggested, hoping to ease the sudden tension.

Mr. Schue glanced at her and nodded. "Fine. But I will be having a meeting with your father after the holidays, Kurt." Kurt made a face that clearly said he didn't care and turned to look out the window, a sly smirk gracing his face. Ok sure, he was a bit harsh with his teacher and he knew his dad would be angry with him, but he would deal with it later. He was too anxious to see Blaine to worry about it right now.

As soon as they pulled into the school parking lot, Kurt was up and out of his seat. He didn't even wait for the bus driver to come to a full stop before placing his hand on the lever, opening the door, and jumping out. He could hear Mr. Schue shouting out after him but he didn't care and ran straight to his car. He grabbed his luggage, hurried over to Finn, tossed him the keys and walked off again.

"Kurt!" Mr. Schue yelled out as Kurt walked to an unidentified black car. He watched a man in a suit step out, take Kurt's luggage, and open the back door for him. The driver put Kurt's suitcases in the trunk before getting in the car and driving off. "Finn, where is your brother going?" he demanded.

"He umâwellâ" Finn stammered.

"Finn," Rachel said to him sternly.

"Sorry, Mr. Schue," Finn shrugged and walked off without another word.

"You have his number, right?"

"Yes, Blaine."

"And you have his flight info; the gate you need to be at; the time the plane lands?"

"Yes, Blaine."

"And you know what he looks like, so you should be good," Blaine was frantic. He got his bedroom set up and he even made a stop at the grocery store to get all of Kurt's favorite foods, but now that the time to leave came, he worried that he was forgetting something. "Maybe I should write everything down for you, just in case."

Cooper bit back a laugh. He knew better than to laugh at his brother when he was in panic mode. "You already wrote everything down for me, Squirt. I got this."

Blaine let out a short breath. "Right, ok. I gotta go," he turned towards the door but then stopped and looked back at his brother. "Do not embarrass me, Coop. No stories about when we were kids."

"Oh come on, where's the fun in that?" Cooper asked entirely too serious for Blaine's liking.

Blaine narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Forget it. I'll call him a driver."

"Blaine, I was kidding," Cooper tried to assure him but by the smirk on his face Blaine knew he wasn't. "I won't embarrass youâtoo much," he grinned while Blaine scowled. "Don't make that face. You're too pretty for that."

"Coop," Blaine whined, sounding more like a child than a grown man. "Can you please not mess with me right now? I'm freaking out enough as is."

"Why?" Cooper questioned.

"Because he's my Kurt," Blaine said in that adoring voice he always got when it came to his beloved. "He's never met you, never been out of Ohio, and all of a sudden he's being thrust into this world he's not used to. Everything's gotta be perfect for his arrival. I don't want him to be overwhelmed."

"There's no such thing as perfect."

"Kurt's perfect."

Cooper rolled his eyes. "Ok fine, Kurt's perfect. The point is that it's going to be fine. I will be a charming gentleman, I will drive extra safe, and I will tell him only the minimal stories. I'll keep the good stuff for when you're around," he teased.

Blaine deadpanned and ran his fingers through his hair as his driver honked the horn for the third time. "Ok, I have to go. I'll see you at the show."

"Go on, get," Cooper said pushing him out of the door. "We'll see you soon."

Kurt was beyond pissed. The plan had been for Cooper to pick him up and drive him to Fresno just in time for the concert. But his flight had been delayed three times already which meant that he would miss the show entirely. He and Cooper would have to go back to the Anderson brother's home and wait for Blaine to arrive instead.

While he waited to find out when his flight would finally board, he played games on his cellphones, replied to several texts from his friends and his dad, and DMed a few fans on Twitter. He'd been staying away for the past few weeks, needing a break from the constant attention. But now that he was on his way to see Blaine, he wanted to share his excitement with the fans he did enjoy talking to.

"Now boarding flight 573: Dayton to Los Angeles."

Kurt groaned in relief. "Thank God," he muttered. He sent a quick text to Cooper telling him that they were boarding, tweeted the fans, grabbed his one carry on, and made his way to the gate.

HisLuckyCharm : Officially on my way to see *WarblerBlaine! #cantwait #bestChristmasbreakEVER

A/N: Hello my dears. I know the updates have been taking a little longer than usual but the end of the year is always the most hectic. There will not be another update until after the New Year but I promise I will be back. The next several weeks are very important for our boys and I can guarantee that it will be worth the wait. ;)

In the meantime, I am working on a five chapter fic titled, My Christmas Special, which will be posted starting December 21st. I will then update once a day for the next four days. You can all blame/thank BritBoJangles for it. She's the one who convinced me to write it. It's a fun little fic though so I hope you all check it out.

Thanks again for all the support. I love you all.

Santana's song: Nightingale by Demi Lovato.

Welcome to LA

A/N: Hello my darlings! I'm back! Thank you all so much for the constant love and the patience. I couldn't ask for better readers.

A special dedication goes out to my very best friend Meagan who has just barely entered the Klaine fandom and has started reading this story. Her support means more to me than she knows.

MuseInMe3, you are simply wonderful and I love you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

HisLuckyCharm : Officially on my way to see *WarblerBlaine! #cantwait #bestChristmasbreakEVER

KsWife : Oh my god! It's happening isn't it?! IT'S TOTALLY HAPPENING! PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS REAL!

Numero1WarblerFan : *HisLuckyCharm *WarblerBlaine K's going to LA to see Blaine! AAAH! My heart!

bitchesbelikewhoa : K and Blaine, spending Christmas vacation together, kissing at midnight on New Year's. I'm done.

LezBionicEm : No but like, they'll be together for like three weeks, right? SO much can happen in that time! I can't handle this!

SebastiansLove : *PerezHill is going to the last concert. He'll get the real scoop on these phonies. I'm not worried.

KsWife: *HisLuckyCharm *WarblerBlaine I love I love you I love you! #nobutseriously #iloveyou

Klainelover : *HisLuckyCharm *WarblerBlaine *gif* MY EMOTIONS

KlainesArmy : Chill out guys. I know this is exciting but stop jumping to conclusions. They will tell us if they bond ONLY if they want to.

KlainesArmy : Please stop tweeting them about it though. It's none of our business. Be respectful.

KlainesArmy : *HisLuckyCharm *WarblerBlaine Enjoy your time together! It's well deserved.

Kurt stood outside in the passenger pick up area waiting for Cooper. His eyes jumped from high class vehicle to high class vehicle, as his heart raced. Five minutes in Los Angeles and the differences between his world and Blaine's were already strikingly obvious. He heard someone shout his name followed by a whistle and turned his head to the red BMW with tinted windows. The passenger side window was lowered just enough to see Cooper with his sunglasses smiling at him. Kurt hurried over to the car and Cooper popped the trunk so that Kurt could put his luggage inside. He quickly walked to the passenger side and got in. As Kurt put on his seatbelt, Cooper raised the window.

"Ready?" Cooper asked him.

"Yeah," Kurt said with a nod and Cooper started to drive out with the flow of cars.

They were silent for the first few minutes, Cooper concentrating on getting out of the airport traffic while Kurt let himself finally breath. He was actually in California and on his way to the Anderson home to wait for Blaine, riding in the passenger seat of hot shot Hollywood actor Cooper Anderson's car no less; the same man that was essentially his brother in law now. Kurt had to admit he was a bit overwhelmed.

As soon as Cooper hit the highway, Kurt pulled out his cell phone and called his dad.

"Hello?" Burt answered and Kurt took comfort in his voice. "Kurt?"

"Yeah, it's me," Kurt replied a little shakily. Cooper glanced at him. "I'm in the car with Cooper. We're on our way to the house."

"Oh good," Burt breathed with relief. "Now, don't you worry about us over here, alright? You have fun while you're there, be safe, and we'll see you in a few days."

Kurt smiled softly, his anxiety from the trip slipping away. His dad always knew what to say. "Thanks, Dad. I'll see you in a few days."

"Oh, Kurt!" Burt said quickly before Kurt ended the call. "What kind of car does Cooper drive?"

Kurt scowled even though his father couldn't see. "Really, Dad?"

"Yes, really," Burt insisted. "I bet it's a Cadillac, right? Or a Porsche? Oh! It's a Lamborghini!"

Kurt snorted with amusement. "He's an actor, Dad. Not a rapper," he rolled his eyes, glancing at Cooper who glanced back curiously. "And it's a BMW, actually," Kurt looked at the dash and the backseat, "6 Series by the look of it."

"Coupe or convertible?"

"Coupe," Kurt answered. "And it's red with tinted windows."

"Nice," Burt said with approval.

"Can I go now?" Kurt asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Burt grumbled. "Promise me you'll look at the engine while you're there."

"Really, Dad?" Kurt whined with a laugh.

"Yes, really!"

"Alright, fine. I'll ask," Kurt assured him with an eye roll, though truthfully he wanted to take a peek at the engine himself. "I'll call you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too, son."

Kurt ended the call and shook his head. "Sorry about that," he said with a hint of embarrassment as he sent Blaine a quick text.

"No need to be sorry," Cooper replied with a smirk. "What did he want you to ask?"

Kurt's face flushed. "Oh, um, nothing. He justâhe's a bit of a grease monkey, so am I, you know, being raised in a car shop and all. He's a mechanic and owns his garage, and he wanted me to take a look at your engine," he rattled off quickly. "Not that I would like, do anything to it, and not that I couldn't either. I could totally take your car apart and put it back together like nobody's business. I would just look at it, and stuff. You know, appreciate its beauty."

Cooper grinned but held back a laugh. Blaine warned him that Kurt tended to ramble when he was nervous. It was rather cute. "Blaine's soulmate is a grease monkey, huh? That's pretty cool, considering neither one of us knows how to change a flat tire." Kurt turned to him, his face deadly serious. Cooper actually shrunk back a little. "What? That's what triple A is for." Kurt opened his mouth to comment but quickly closed it and looked away, shaking his head disapprovingly. Cooper smirked. "You can look under the hood tomorrow if you'd like. Just don't break my baby."

"You wouldn't know the difference even if I did," Kurt quipped. "Can't even change a flat tire. Incredible," he muttered.

Cooper chuckled and reached for the radio to turn it on. Kurt turned with a surprised brow when The Warblers' album began to play. "Don't tell Blaine I actually listen to his music. Then I won't be able to tease him for being in a boy band."

Kurt smiled brightly and relaxed into his seat. "Your secret is safe with me."

"What do you mean you're leaving right now?"

Blaine looked up at David with a smirk as he took off his pants. "What do you think I mean?" he asked teasingly, shaking his pants twice before grabbing the hanger on the rack next to him.

David narrowed his eyes for a moment as he slipped off his shirt. "Eric, I'm taking the jet home with Blaine!"

"Seriously?" Nick asked them but was ignored.

"You're taking the jet home?" Wes suddenly came around the corner already changed.

Blaine finished pulling on his jeans and zipped them up. "Hell yeah I am! Kurt's at my house and has already been with Coop for like an hour. There's no way in hell I'm traveling with the bus and leaving him there for another three."

Wes turned towards Eric. "I'm taking the jet too! I'm dying to see my wife!"

"We're all dying to see our wives," Eric smirked. "Don't you want to experience your last few hours on the bus with your brothers?"

"Nope," Blaine said with a laugh as he tied his shoes. "I already told Nathan to refill the tank because I was taking the jet right after the show."

"Of course you did," Eric said with amusement. "Well I can't stop you so bye. See you tomorrow. Be at the stadium by noon."

"Will do," Blaine promised him as he, Wes, and David hurried out.

"So Kurt," Cooper said conversationally, needing to distract Kurt for a moment. They were in the kitchen and even though Kurt thought Blaine wouldn't be there for another two hours, his eyes continued to shift towards the front door. "Did Blaine ever tell you about the commercial he was in when he was little?"

Kurt turned to Cooper bemused. "Blaine was in a commercial?"

Cooper grinned and leaned on the bar. "He sure was. Back when I was auditioning for local gigs in Westerville, I took Blaine with me and he landed a job like that," he snapped.

"Seriously?" Kurt asked disbelieving. "I don't know if Blaine told you but I was a huge fanboy before I found out he was my soulmate. I would've known if he was in a commercial."

Cooper's grin widened as he stood back up. "Look up Welch's commercial, 1994, spot #3." Kurt raised a brow but did what he was told. While he searched through YouTube, Cooper sent a text to Blaine letting him know that Kurt was distracted.

Kurt's jaw dropped, a smirk playing at his lips. "Oh. My. God," he said in shock, young Blaine's face smiling at him. He looked at Cooper who nodded with a smug grin. "How have the fans not found this?"

"Beats me," Cooper shrugged, his eyes darting past Kurt for a second to see Blaine stealthily walking their way. "It only aired a couple of times because our dad flipped out and he called the company demanding that they take it down. Which they did immediately. Apparently my signing the rights for him to appear in the commercial was illegal."

Kurt shook his head slowly and clicked on the video to play. Blaine cringed the moment he heard his younger self speak. He should've known that Cooper would eventually show Kurt that video. Kurt cooed at the commercial, his cheeks flushing at how absolutely adorable Blaine was. His soulmate was a Welch's kid. He was never going to get over that. Blaine leaned against the entryway with a smile as Kurt giggled over his younger self. Cooper embarrassing him was well worth it in order to surprise his love.

"I remember that day," Blaine spoke up, startling Kurt. "I drank so much grape juice that to this day I refuse to drink any."

"Blaine!" Kurt squealed, quickly getting off the bar stool and running into Blaine's arms. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well this is my house," Blaine teased, leaving a gentle kiss in the crook of Kurt's neck.

"Technically it's my house," Cooper corrected though it went ignored.

"I know that," Kurt said as they parted. "I mean, I thought you wouldn't be here for like, another two hours?"

"I took the private jet home," Blaine half shrugged, bringing his hand up to cradle Kurt's face. "I missed you too much to wait."

Kurt blushed and leaned into the touch. "I missed you too," he spoke softly, leaning in to kiss him.

Cooper gave them only a moment before interrupting. "I hadn't realized he was taller than you, Squirt," he teased.

Blaine pulled back and stuck his tongue out. "I happen to like that he's taller." He glanced around the kitchen and dining room and raised a brow. "Where's Monica?"

Before Cooper could answer, his wife's yells traveled down the stairs. "In her office. It's one of those cases."

Blaine chuckled and nodded. "Gotcha. What did you guys make for dinner?" he asked as he and Kurt took a seat at the bar. "I'm starving."

"We ordered in from that Thai place you like," Cooper told him. "Want me to warm you up some?"

"Yes, please," Blaine said eagerly. He looked over at Kurt and raised a curious brow. "What are you doing?"

"Posting that commercial on Twitter," Kurt smirked and Cooper barked out a laugh.

"Kurt!" Blaine gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"Too late," Kurt sang.

Blaine quickly pulled his phone out as it buzzed and sure enough, Kurt tweeted the video.

HisLuckyCharm : *CoopAnderson Thank you for sharing this adorable video of *WarblerBlaine with me. Now I know which juice is his favorite. [link]

Blaine shook his head as he went into Twitter. "I cannot believe you posted that. I've been hiding it for years. One day with Cooper and you're already selling me out," he teased lightly.

WarblerBlaine : *HisLuckyCharm *CoopAnderson NO PLEASE! NO MORE GRAPE JUICE!

Kurt laughed at Blaine's response and turned to him. "It's an adorable video, Blaine. Besides, I already started a riot earlier. Might as well keep it going. Maybe this will make them stop talking about us bonding and move on to how cute you were with that hair."

"There's talk of us bonding?" Blaine asked, suddenly very serious.

Kurt rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. The fans flipped out when they saw I was coming to see you. Apparently us being together means that we're going to bond," he said dismissively.

Cooper set a plate of food and a beer in front of Blaine, and they shared a look that went unnoticed by Kurt. "I wouldn't worry too much about it," he said with a shrug. "Blaine's fans have always been a bitâ"

"Crazy?" Kurt supplied.

"I was going to say eccentric, but crazy works too," Cooper laughed.

"You're not mad at me for posting that, right?" Kurt asked Blaine when he saw the worried expression on his face.

"No, no. Of course not," Blaine assured him. The look on his face had nothing to do with the video and everything to do with Kurt somehow finding out his secret plans. Not that anyone knew of them except Cooper and Eric, but just the talk of them bonding put Blaine on edge.

"Are you sure?" Kurt said with a pout.

Blaine smiled gently and leaned towards him. "I'm positive," he whispered, bringing his hand to Kurt's face and kissing him.

Kurt melted into it, his hand covering Blaine's and kissing him back lovingly. Neither noticed the flash of a camera, but when their phones buzzed simultaneously, they pulled back.

Blaine looked at his screen and his eyes went wide. "Cooper! What the hell did you do?!" he asked frantically as he clicked on the Twitter app.

Kurt gasped. "Oh my God!"

"What?" Cooper shrugged. "It's not like you can see his face."

CoopAnderson : *WarblerBlaine *HisLuckyCharm Stop making out and eat your food Blainers. [picture]

Blaine clicked on the link and thanked God that Kurt's face wasn't at all visible. Between their hands lying on top of each other and the angle Cooper took it at, all the fans could see was Kurt's hair, his hand, a little bit of their lips, and part of Blaine's face.

"You can't just post stuff like this, Coop," Blaine scolded. "We don't want to risk them finding out before we're ready," he said with a pointed look.

"They aren't going to find out," Cooper assured him. "Relax baby brother."

Blaine huffed at Cooper's flippancy. "I'm serious."

"Blaine," Kurt said placing a gentle hand on top of Blaine's shoulder. "It's fine. You can't even tell that it's me, not really. My friends would probably be able to because they know me but no one else in school pays that much attention to me, even if I am Cheerio Captain. That would've been our only real worry and they already know about us so we're good."

"But the media-"

"Will not find out," Kurt cut him off. "And even if they did, they can't prove it. If anything they're going to look for men with fabulous hair like mine and do you know how many are out there? A lot."

"I just don't want them to ruin this for us," Blaine said with a sigh.

"I know. I don't either," Kurt smiled softly. "We've made it this far haven't we? We can make it a few more weeks. Alright?" Blaine returned the smile and nodded. "Good. Now please eat. You still have a long day ahead tomorrow and I want to spend some time together tonight."

Blaine smiled gently, kissing Kurt's forehead before turning to his food. "No more pictures, Coop. Not unless we've seen them beforehand."

Cooper raised his hands in surrender. "No more pictures. Scout's honor."

"You were never a scout," Blaine deadpanned.

Cooper shrugged. "Totally irrelevant."

While Blaine ate his dinner, Cooper made sure to tell Kurt as many embarrassing stories as he could remember. He told him about the time that Blaine had gone to one of his soccer games and had all the girls who went to support their boyfriends completely enthralled as he talked about how he would be famous one day.

"He even started singing and dancing, and all these girls who were years older than him were putty in his hands," Cooper had said and Blaine blushed begrudgingly at the memory. "I should've known then that he was going to be a huge star."

Cooper also told him about the time that Blaine found their mother's makeup and decided he wasn't pretty enough. He had been grateful that he was the one that found Blaine and not their father. Blaine had only been 8 and his innocence was still completely intact. He had no idea that their father would've thrown a conniption had he seen his youngest was all dolled up.

"He was so mad at me when I all but dragged him into the bathroom to clean it off," Cooper said fondly. "He kept saying, 'But I wanna be pretty like Mama! Why can't I be pretty like Mama?'" he imitated dramatically.

"I did not," Blaine tried to argue though he knew that he did. "You're over exaggerating."

"No way, little brother," Cooper shook his head, Kurt grinning at them with amusement. "You almost bit my damn arm off when I tried to take the lipstick off."

Blaine looked down in embarrassment. "Ok, yeahâI totally did that part."

Kurt reached over and gently stroked Blaine's hair. "It's ok, baby. I think you're pretty."

Blaine hid behind his hands as Cooper told Kurt about the time that he begged his parents to let him dress as Mulan for Halloween. He argued that it wasn't girly if he wore her Ping outfit but their father refused to even consider it. He had been devastated and swore that he would never trick or treat again.

"But Dad wound up going on a business trip."

"When wasn't he on one," Blaine muttered and Cooper continued.

"As soon as he was gone, Mom goes out and buys Blaine the Mulan costume, but not the Ping one, her bride dress. She knew that was the one he really wanted. He only settled for Ping because he thought Dad would approve," Cooper smirked and Kurt cooed. Blaine lifted his head and smiled at the memory. "She got some face paint and completely did him up. You were what, 12?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, something like. I remember thinking it was some sort of trick."

"Why would your mom trick you?" Kurt asked seriously.

"You never really knew with Mom," Blaine shrugged and Cooper nodded. "There were days where she went behind Dad's back and let us do things or eat stuff that he would never allow, and other days she was on his side one hundred percent. It just depended on the situation."

"That was an awesome Halloween though," Cooper said with a grin.

"Yeah, it really was," Blaine laughed. "Coop dressed up as Shan Yu and while we trick or treated, we pretended to have battles."

"Which I won, every time," Cooper said smugly.

Blaine scoffed. "In your dreams. I had that shit in the bag."

"In your dreams, little brother," Cooper said teasingly. "I was taller and better looking, so naturally, I won," Blaine rolled his eyes. "In fact, I'm still taller and better looking, so I still win."

"You wish," Blaine retorted.

"So did your dad ever find out?" Kurt asked with curiosity.

Cooper and Blaine shook their heads. "Nope," Blaine said. "By the time he got home from his trip, the costumes were gone and the candy had been eaten. As far as he knew, we stayed home that Halloween."

"And that is how it's going to stay," Cooper said with a nod. He raised his beer bottle and Blaine clinked his in agreement. "Our dad was never the type of man to let things go. He'd probably still try to ground me for going along with Blaine's plan."

Monica suddenly entered the kitchen in a rush. "Coffee. I need coffee," she muttered more to herself.

"How many cups is that, babe?" Cooper asked seriously.

"Uh," Monica replied as she grabbed a cup from the cupboard.

Cooper snatched it from her hand and raised it above his head. "How many cups?"

"Give that back, Cooper!" Monica snapped.

"Not until you tell me how many you've had so far," Cooper said firmly.

Monica groaned. "I don't know! Likeâ10?"

"Nope," Cooper decided with a shake of his head. "No more coffee for you."

"Cooper!"

"No," Cooper said with finality. "You need to take a break. I haven't seen you all day, you ate dinner in your office, and you haven't even met Kurt or said hi to Blaine."

Monica turned to Kurt and Blaine with a wide smile. "Hi, Kurt, it's lovely to meet you! Hey, Blaine! I'm so glad you're home!" she turned back to Cooper, her smile replaced with a look of determination. "One more cup, one more hour of work, and then I'm done. I promise!"

"You promise?" Cooper asked as he slowly started to lower his arm.

"I swear it," Monica pleaded with her hands folded. Cooper relented and gave her the cup. "Thank you!" she quickly turned to the Keurig machine and started her coffee before turning back to Kurt. "Hi, sorry. I have this big case and it's making me want to pull out my hair! I'm not trying to be rude."

"No, it's fine," Kurt assured her with a smile. "I understand."

Monica smiled appreciatively and turned back to her coffee. She added her sugar, blew Cooper a kiss, and walked out without another word. Cooper sighed longingly. "So, that's my wife. She's a bit of a workaholic."

"She seems nice," Kurt smiled.

Cooper smiled back and took a sip of his beer. "Yeah, she really is."

When Blaine was finished eating, he took Kurt up to his bedroom. Cooper had already given him a tour of the house but was under strict orders not to let Kurt in his room. He had even gone as far as locking the door, just in case.

"Are you ready?" Blaine asked teasingly, his room key in his hand.

Kurt rolled his eyes though his heart pounded in his chest. "It's just a bedroom, Blaine."

Blaine grinned widely and turned to his door. "Close your eyes." Kurt raised a brow but closed his eyes anyway. Blaine opened the door just enough to put Kurt's suitcases inside and came around behind Kurt. He slipped his key in his pocket and covered Kurt's eyes with his hands. "Alright, start walking forward and push the door open." Kurt followed the instructions and walked into Blaine's room. "Keep your eyes closed," he said as he removed his hands. He closed the door behind them and locked it before coming to Kurt's front. "Ok, open up."

Kurt's eyes fluttered open slowly and his breath left him. "Blaine?"

"You told me once that I was your prince, and that you were your own knight," Blaine said warmly. "But you are my prince, and a prince's quarters mustn't be anything but extraordinary."

Kurt was completely floored. Blaine had literally turned his room into a prince's chambers. The colors used were rich royal blues and soft whites, and he was certain that Blaine completely replaced his usual furniture. The four post bed was something out of a fairytale with its majestic carvings and sheer canopy drapes. There was even a small chandelier in the middle of the room and Kurt could only laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

"How did youâwhen did youâ" Kurt trailed off as he walked towards the vanity that was surely meant for a king.

"I ordered the furniture when I was on tour," Blaine replied, suddenly bashful. "I had the company set it up and then earlier today, I flew here right after the meet and greet and had Cooper help me decorate. It's not too much is it?"

Kurt turned to Blaine with gentle eyes. "It's beautiful, Blaine."

Blaine smiled a little shyly. "Yeah?" he asked as he pulled Kurt into his arms.

Kurt nodded. "Yeah."

"I was thinking that whenever we buy our house, that this could be our bedroom set, if you wanted."

Kurt blushed deeply. Our house. Our bedroom set. He was seriously never going to get over this. "I think this would be perfect for our bedroom. I am living a fairytale after all," he laughed lightly.

Blaine brushed his nose against Kurt's. "Me too," he kissed him lightly and pulled away. "Why don't you get yourself ready for bed while I take a quick shower? You can use whatever creams I have on the vanity or your stuff, whichever you prefer."

"Ok," Kurt nodded and let Blaine go. He walked back to the vanity to inspect the creams and snorted. "Blaine, these are all higher quality creams of what I already use."

Blaine grinned as he pulled out a pair of boxer briefs from the dresser. "I know. And for the record, these are all I'm wearing tonight," he said cheekily.

Kurt bit his lip and nodded. "Duly noted."

Twenty minutes later, Blaine walked out of his bathroom in nothing but his boxer briefs and cuff. He hated wearing it to bed but he couldn't risk them bonding. The room was dark with the exception of the soft light from the lamp next to the bed and the canopy drapes were closed all around. The thought of Kurt waiting in their bed for him made his blood boil with desire. He took a slow breath and walked to the bed, gingerly opening the drapes. What he found was not what he expected. Kurt was lying there completely naked and staring at him through his lashes with an innocent expression.

"Enjoy your shower?" Kurt asked just above a whisper.

"Kurt," Blaine breathed, his eyes traveling down Kurt's toned body. It was the first time he'd seen Kurt naked, the first time he'd seen Kurt's long, lean cock. Sure he'd felt it through various fabrics, but this was entirely different. There were no boundaries between them and Blaine was salivating to touch it, to taste it.

Kurt sat up, then got on his knees, slowly making his way to Blaine from the middle of the bed. It had been a bold move not to wear his own boxers to bed but by the look on Blaine's face it had been a brilliant idea. He stopped far enough away for Blaine to have space to kneel on the mattress, but close enough that Blaine could touch him. He watched as Blaine eyed him hungrily and he blushed from his face down to his throbbing erection. Blaine's eyes finally moved back up his body and met his, an almost nervous chuckle escaping his lips.

"You're stunning," Blaine whispered. He reached out and trailed his fingers down Kurt's chest. Kurt closed his eyes for a moment and shivered. "Absolutely gorgeous."

Blaine licked his lips, his eyes following his fingertips until he reached Kurt's belly button. He looked up at Kurt as he kneeled on the bed. Kurt moaned when Blaine's clothed cock pressed against his. Blaine leaned into Kurt's neck and licked up to his jaw.

"I want to taste you," he whispered. Kurt nodded with a whimper. "Lay down for me, beautiful."

Kurt laid back down. His whole body was on fire and the look of want in Blaine's eyes made him groan. Blaine settled himself in-between Kurt's legs and started with a kiss on Kurt's collarbone. He kissed, and licked, and bit down Kurt's chest, the lower he got, the more Kurt's body shuddered from anticipation.

"You ok?" Blaine asked.

Kurt gulped and nodded. "Yeah," he said an octave higher. "You're justâreally good with your mouth."

Blaine smirked against his skin. "You haven't seen anything yet," he said as he reached Kurt's cock. It wasn't as thick as Blaine's but it was longer, and although Blaine trimmed just a bit, Kurt was almost completely shaven and it was the sexiest thing Blaine had ever seen. "I can't wait to feel you inside me," he said, his breath lingering on Kurt's cock.

"Blaine," Kurt groaned, his hands gripping the sheets. Blaine looked up at him to see that Kurt was watching. He kept their eyes locked as he licked the underside of Kurt cock from base to tip. "Blaine!" he moaned, not once moving his vision away.

Blaine smiled devilishly. He loved that Kurt wanted to watch him, but he wanted Kurt to be in so much pleasure that it was physically impossible for him to. He licked up and around a few more times before lifting it up with one hand and sucking on the end. Kurt threw his head back and moaned. Blaine's ministrations were soft and teasing and Kurt was sure he was going to lose his mind. Blaine took Kurt slowly, knowing that Kurt wouldn't last long and needing to savor every second. He even rutted against the bed, needing the friction and unable to control the rotation of his hips. Kurt's hand found its way to Blaine's hair, his fingers gripping the curls hard. Blaine slowed down a little and looked up at Kurt, waiting, needing Kurt to look at him. When Kurt met his eyes, Blaine sunk down and took Kurt entirely in his mouth.

"ohlordjesus," Kurt moaned out, his hips bucking up and fucking Blaine's mouth. The sudden movement made Blaine gag. "Sorry! So sorry!"

"It's ok," Blaine replied quickly and wrapped his lips around Kurt's leaking erection. He placed his hands on Kurt's hips to steady the movements. He began humming to the tune of Teenage Dream and Kurt breathed out a laugh.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Blaine chuckled around him, the vibrations going through his cock. "Blaine, I can't."

Blaine moved one hand to Kurt's balls and gently rubbed them as he increased his bobbing. Kurt felt the familiar coil in his abdomen and couldn't stop from coming even if he wanted. He spilled into Blaine's mouth, Blaine's name mixed in with profanities falling from his lips. Blaine sucked him off until the very end of the orgasm, swallowing every bit of Kurt's cum. He released Kurt and wiped his mouth, kissing back up Kurt's body until he reached his face. Kurt was completely blissed out and Blaine smiled in satisfaction. He kissed Kurt softly, his body still aching with want.

"I can taste myself," Kurt whispered against his lips. "It's fucking hot," he muttered, kissing Blaine back with fervor.

Blaine's hips bucked forward and Kurt realized that Blaine was still hard. He pushed Blaine onto his back and quickly settled in-between his legs. He practically ripped Blaine's boxers off him and then froze at the thick cock staring back at him. He licked his lips, recalling everything Santana told him about giving blowjobs and licked the pre-cum off the tip.

"Kurt," Blaine growled but had no opportunity to say anything else when Kurt took him entirely into his mouth.

Unlike Blaine, Kurt didn't tease or take his time. He sucked Blaine off as though his life depended on it, alternating between humming and screwing his head around like he had been taught. It didn't take long for Blaine to cum with a scream. Kurt attempted to swallow as much of Blaine as possible but some spilled over his face anyway. When he leaned back and looked at Blaine, Blaine swore under his breath. Seeing Kurt so completely debauched with his cum on his face was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen. He reached for Kurt's lips and wiped it with his thumb, but as he started to pull his hand away, Kurt quickly moved and sucked Blaine's thumb clean.

"Fuck, Kurt," Blaine breathed.

Kurt shrugged with a smirk. "What can I say? You taste good."

Blaine chuckled and rested his head back. "Not nearly as good as you."

Kurt crawled over to the lamp and switched it off before lying down next to Blaine. "We'll have to agree to disagree then," he teased lightly.

Blaine pulled him closer and kissed him. "I love you," he spoke quietly. "Goodnight, my sweet prince."

Kurt nuzzled his nose against Blaine's before curling up in his arms. "Goodnight, my sweet prince. I love you too."

Kurt breathed deeply, a smile tugging at his lips when his nose was filled with Blaine's scent. He must have moved during the night because he was now lying on his side. Their feet were intertwined and Blaine's hand rested on his hip. His eyes fluttered open and a blush instantly crept up his face. Blaine smiled lovingly. He would forever love the way Kurt's body flushed.

"Were you watching me sleep?" Kurt asked quietly.

Blaine nodded, his thumb caressing Kurt's hipbone. "You're too gorgeous not to watch," he said and Kurt's blush deepened. "Why don't you take a shower and I'll make us some breakfast? We have to be at the stadium by noon so we have some time."

"Sounds good," Kurt said with a hum.

Blaine scooted closer and kissed Kurt lightly before forcing himself to sit up. Kurt watched his back muscles constrict as he stretched and bit his lip. Who knew that stretching could be so sexy? He continued to watch Blaine as he reached for his boxer briefs on the floor, his eyes lingering on Blaine's ass cheeks as he pulled the briefs on.

"I gotta say," Kurt said with seduction. "You have a really nice ass."

Blaine turned to him with a wicked grin. "Just imagine yourself pounding into it," he replied sultrily and Kurt groaned in response. Blaine sent him a wink and got out of bed. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pajama bottoms. "Eggs or pancakes?" he asked as he grabbed a shirt.

Kurt hummed as he stretched. "Pancakes," he answered as he sat up. "And bacon!"

"You got it," Blaine smiled over his shoulder and walked out of the room.

Kurt fell back in bed, closing his eyes and taking a breath. He half expected to wake up from this wonderful dream but when he opened his eyes, he was still lying naked in Blaine's bed, their bed. Without warning, a giggle escaped his lips. He couldn't wait to tell Santana.

Kurt and Blaine sat crossed legged on the bed with the tray of food between them. It was just after 9 so they still had plenty of time to talk and neither was in a rush. The conversation started off light, Blaine asking Kurt how his flight was and Kurt telling him how truly different their two worlds are. But when Kurt told Blaine about the argument he had with Mr. Schue on the bus, Blaine was far from amused.

"He was trying to force us to go to some stupid pizza party we didn't even deserve," Kurt argued, surprised by Blaine's reaction. He had honestly thought that Blaine would have found the situation funny. "The driver was waiting for me at school so that I could catch my flight to come here, to see you! Granted my flight was delayed but that's not the point. The point is that he was trying to force me into something that at the time I could not do and I was not about to miss my flight because of him. I don't understand why you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," Blaine assured him but by the firmness in his tone Kurt didn't exactly believe him. "But I'm not happy with how you handled it either. That was really disrespectful of you, Kurt. If you had missed the flight then we would've gotten you another one. That wouldn't have been a problem. But the way you spoke to your teacher was uncalled for."

"You don't even like, Mr. Schue!" Kurt all but shouted. "You've said so numerous times! How would you have felt if I called you and told you that the reason I wasn't here wasn't because of the delayed flight, but because my stupid teacher made me go to a dumbass pizza party?"

"I would've been annoyed, but I would've understood. Kurt," Blaine reached over the tray of food and grabbed hold of his hands. "I get why you were upset with him, but you shouldn't have talked to him like that. He's your teacher, albeit not a very good one from what you've told me, but he's your teacher nonetheless. When you start school again, I think you should apologize to him."

Kurt's face dropped. "You're kidding me right?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, I'm not."

Kurt groaned and pulled his hands away, crossing his arms in annoyance. "I don't like it when you act like an adult," he grumbled.

Blaine smirked. "Well with as many tantrums as you have, one of us has to be," he teased and Kurt stuck out his tongue. "I love you," he sang.

Kurt instantly melted. "I love you too."

Blaine leaned forward and pecked his lips. "Now, tell me all about Regionals. I can't believe you guys tied," he said as he grabbed a few grapes.

"Yeah well, your alma mater is kinda flawless," Kurt said with an eye roll. "Regionals was fine though. Santana did amazing, no surprise there, and Finn and Rachel's duet was of course incredible. What I've been dying to tell you is what happened with Mr. Clarington."

Blaine froze mid bite. "What happened?" he asked worriedly.

Kurt completely missed Blaine's apprehension. "Remember when I Voxer'ed you about how stuck up the Warblers are?" Blaine nodded. "Well, I was in the bathroom fixing my hair and I heard them talking about Mr. Clarington. Apparently he had some sort of breakdown and they were saying that he was totally losing his shit."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, so I get in their faces about how they shouldn't be talking crap about their director in front of the competition, in a public bathroom no less, and I say something like, 'Aren't Dalton men supposed to be about brotherhood and all that? How dare you talk shit about your leaders?' And yes, I know that I'm being hypocritical since I totally disrespected Mr. Schue but that's irrelevant," Blaine smiled a bit at that. "But anyway, so then one says to me, 'What do you know, public school?', as if that's some kind of insult."

Blaine snorted with amusement. "I can't believe that they still use that. Sebastian used to say that all the time."

Kurt rolled his eyes and continued. "Well then I said to him, 'I know more than you think', and that's when they walked out and I Voxer'ed you."

"Ok," Blaine said. "And?"

"And, I think that Mr. Clarington was in one of the stalls, because he approached me after the winners were announced," Kurt told him.

"What did he say?" Blaine said defensively.

Kurt did catch his tone that time and looked at Blaine with confusion. "Nothing bad," he assured him. "He was actually pretty nice. But he knew my name and told me that it was a pleasure meeting me, and when I asked him how he knew who I was, he said, 'I know more than you think', and I was just like, umâ, and he goes, 'Don't worry, your secret's been safe with me for a long time', tells me that he's sure he'll see me again, and then walks off." Blaine let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "How does he know me, Blaine? Do you guys talk or something?"

"Um, wellâno, not exactly," Blaine said hesitantly. "I mean Wes still talks to him all the time but he and Iâweâit's complicated."

"Complicated how?" Kurt questioned. "Did Wes tell him we were soulmates?"

"No, that was me," Blaine said, his mind racing. "Remember he was my roommate at Dalton senior year. He was there when I turned of age. He probably remembered your name and I guess he saw that I had found you so he put two and two together."

"Ok," Kurt said with narrowed eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"

Blaine gave him a reluctant smile. "It's not really my story to tell. I mean, parts of it are butâI can't in good conscious tell you anything about why it's complicated."

Kurt looked at him curiously but decided not to push. "Alright, I guess," he shrugged and Blaine visibly relaxed. "I can't get over how his students were talking about him though. Like, how awful must it have been to hear your students talking shit about you like that?"

Blaine looked away and nodded, questions and concern plaguing his mind. "Pretty awful I'm sure."

Kurt wrung his hands nervously. He was in the dressing room pacing, waiting for Blaine to finish with the second meet and greet. He had known that Perez Hill would be in attendance for tonight's show but it wasn't until they were leaving the Anderson home that Blaine told him they were doing an exclusive interview with the gossip columnist.

"He's the one person who everyone reads, whether they hate or love him," Blaine had said. "Eric made a deal to give him an exclusive as long as he didn't out us and as long as he waited until after we announce you to release any pictures. This is such a big scoop that he couldn't turn it down. Everything's going to be fine though, trust me."

And he did trust Blaine, completely and without question. But that didn't stop his anxiety from going haywire. So many things could go wrong and Kurt was terrified of making a fool of himself. In his panicked state, he didn't notice The Warblers' surprise guest walk into the dressing room.

"Are you him?" Kurt whipped his head around and gasped. "Are you Blaine's soulmate?" Kurt nodded slowly, his jaw going slack. Dani Santiago sauntered over to him with a wicked grin. "You sir, are a total hottie."

"That's saying something coming from a vagina lovin' diva like you," Elliot "Starchild" Gilbert said, his own smirk on his lips. "She's right though. You're smoking hot," Elliot extended his hand to Kurt. "You can call me Starchild. This is Dani. What's your name?"

Kurt shook Starchild's hand slowly. "Kurt. I'm Kurt," he turned to shake Dani's hand. "I know who you guys are, you're the Nipslips. My best friend is a huge fan. She's totally in love with you."

Dani preened and brushed her shoulder. "I am pretty fabulous."

"Could I get a picture?" Kurt asked hopefully. "She's going to throw a major bitch fit."

"Of course," Starchild said. "We love us some bitch fits."

"I know that's right," Dani smirked.

Kurt quickly pulled out his phone and took a picture in between them before texting it to Santana. Not but a second later, Santana replied.

From Santana Lopez:

IF YOU DON'T GET ME AN AUTOGRAPH I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO SLIT YOUR FUCKING THROAT YOU WHORE!

"Wow, she's violent," Dani said as she read the text.

Kurt shrugged and pocketed his phone. "She's Tana. I should probably get that autograph though, just in case."

The dressing room door opened and The Warblers walked in. "I see you've met our special guests," Blaine smiled as he walked over to him.

"Nice job on this one, Blaine," Dani said before Kurt could answer. "He's a hottie."

"Yes, yes he is," Starrchild all but purred.

Blaine put a possessive hand around Kurt's waist. "He's mine, Elliot."

"Touchy, touchy," Starchild teased. "And don't call me Elliot. It's Starchild."

"I'm sorry. I must've forgot," Blaine said in a polite tone though by the look on his face he knew he'd annoyed Starchild. Kurt had to admit that jealous Blaine was extremely sexy.

"Blaine, Kurt," they turned to look at Eric. "It's time."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kurt asked for the third time. They were in a private room where the interview would be held and he was a ball of nerves.

Before Blaine could answer, there was a knock on the door followed by Eric and Perez Hill. "I'll leave you to it," Eric said with a look at Perez that once again reminded him of how important this interview was.

Eric closed the door and Perez turned to Blaine and Kurt. "It's wonderful to see you again, Blaine," he greeted with a handshake before turning to Kurt. "And you must be the mysterious K. Wow," Perez eyed him. "You are simply breathtaking. Your eyes are gorgeous."

Kurt smiled a little. "Thanks," he muttered. "It's Kurt, by the way."

"Kurt and Blaine. Klaine," Perez smiled with excitement. "I love it!" he exclaimed with a clap. "I know you're on a tight schedule so let's have a seat, shall we?" Kurt glanced at Blaine and Blaine smiled encouragingly as they sat on the couch. Perez sat in the chair across from them, took out his recorder and notebook, and set them on the table. "Before we begin, I want to explain what's going to happen. You seem a bit nervous, Kurt, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable during the interview. Sound good?"

Kurt sat up straighter and nodded. "Sounds good."

"Great. Now I know Eric has told you our deal but I want you both to be informed on the exact plan," Perez said and they nodded. "Tonight, I will take a few pictures of you two and we'll just talk. I'll ask some questions but I want to know you as a couple. Kurt, you and I will be in the VIP box so we'll be able to watch the show together away from prying eyes and have a chance to spend a little time together. I believe that Mrs. Montgomery and Mrs. Thompson will be up there with us so I'll take a few pictures of you with them as well," Kurt nodded, a new wave of nerves coursing through him. He hadn't met Vanessa or Katherine yet and he hoped they liked him. "As far as the article, it will be published in a few days with a picture of you two but your face will be cut out, Kurt. I will write about a few key things that we've talked about tonight but it'll only be a teaser. The big article will be published after you announce Kurt to the world. That article will go into more detail about how you met and how different your lives have been, and I will release the original photo plus a few more. How's all that sound?"

Blaine looked at Kurt and smiled. "That sounds great, Perez."

"Perfect," Perez said with delight. "If at any time during the interview you say something you specifically do not want to me to share, be sure to tell me that it was off the record, even if it's after you already said it. Like I said, I will ask a few questions but I just want to talk, and people tend to say things without meaning to. Before I publish the article, I will email it to Eric so that he can approve it. Alright?" he directed at Kurt.

Kurt breathed deeply and nodded. "Alright."

Perez smiled, just barely containing his excitement. "Alright," he reached for his notebook, hit record, and pulled out his pen from his pocket. "So, why don't we start easy? Tell me how you two met."

Kurt glanced at Blaine and smiled with ease. "Funny story actually. We originally thought that we met at Goodale Park in Columbus, but we found out later that we met when we were much younger."

Kurt couldn't have asked for a better night. Their interview with Perez went better than expected. Fifteen minutes in they were laughing about Kurt's reaction to Blaine's name while Blaine stared lovingly at him. Perez adored Kurt and his spunky attitude. Once Kurt was over his nerves, it was like talking to an old friend which was exactly what Perez wanted. A relaxed interviewee was an open interviewee. Once they were done, Perez went up to the VIP box and tweeted teasers for the article to come.

Five minutes before the show began, Kurt, Vanessa, and Katherine made their way to the VIP box. Kurt's initial worry had melted away the moment he met the women. Vanessa was warm and welcoming, and her soft spoken nature put Kurt at ease. He had started learning sign language on his own in order to communicate with her better and although she had to correct him a few times, she was impressed by how quickly he picked it up. Katherine was exactly what Kurt expected her to be. She was funny and kind, and she had a bit of a mischievous streak like David's. Watching David freak out in the dressing room because he couldn't find his lucky necklace had been hilarious. It was even funnier when Katherine revealed that she had swiped it off his neck when he wasn't looking.

After the show, The Warblers and the crew went out to eat to celebrate the end of their first leg of the tour. David and Katherine had opted out however because she was dead on her feet, so Kurt got to spend more time with Vanessa as Blaine joked with his friends. Blaine allowed Kurt to have a few drinks with them and quickly found out that a drunk Kurt was a giggly Kurt. He watched amused as Kurt tried to speak with Vanessa, but the alcohol in his system made it difficult for him to sign properly. Vanessa couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard. Kurt's personality was infectious and she was thrilled to have him be a part of their family.

Kurt learned that an intoxicated Blaine was a horny Blaine and he took full advantage of it. They were up for hours that night, teasing and exploring each other, learning each other's hot spots. When they woke the next morning, both were a bit hung-over but it didn't stop them from waking with the sun. Kurt convinced Blaine to take a shower with him, and the shower inevitably led to Blaine holding him up against the wall. What was meant to be a quick shower turned into an hour of rutting. As Blaine's fingers dug into his thigh, his teeth scraping Kurt's collarbone, Kurt realized that he had a kink for wall sex. Just the thought of Blaine fucking him against any wall made him want it even more. Blaine seemed to realize at the exact moment that Kurt enjoyed being constricted so he let go of Kurt's thigh and reached for his hands, holding them above his head and whispering dirty things into his ear until Kurt came with mewl.

After their shower, they lounged around the house for the rest of the day. There were hundreds of places that Blaine wanted to take Kurt, but they couldn't risk being seeing together yet. They didn't mind it too much though. It was a nice, relaxing day in their pajamas and they enjoyed simply being in each other's arms. Once the evening rolled around, Kurt got ready for a movie night with Katherine and Vanessa and Blaine got ready for a night out with his brother and the guys, or so Kurt believed. As far as he was concerned, he was spending the evening at David's house with the girls while Blaine went out for a few beers and a game of pool.

"The girls will take care of you," Blaine said as they walked up to David's front door. "Don't let Katherine convince you to do something you shouldn't."

Kurt raised a brow. "What would she convince me to do?" he asked as Blaine rang the doorbell.

"She's a female version of David. She'll figure something out," Blaine said with a laugh.

Katherine opened the door with a smile. "Hey! Come on in," she said as she let them inside. "We have a fun night planned."

They walked into the kitchen and saw Vanessa mixing drinks. "Don't get him in too much trouble, baby," David joked as he and Wes walked their way.

"I would never," Katherine said with faux innocence.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," Blaine said with reluctance though he had no intention of taking Kurt back home.

Kurt laughed and shook his head. "It's just a few hours. I'll be fine. I won't drink that much, I promise."

"I'm surprised you two are drinking at all," Wes said as he eyed his wife. "You usually don't drink two nights in a row."

Vanessa shrugged with a smirk. "He's cute when he's drunk. Plus Kat didn't see his failed attempt at signing. It's only fair that she gets to experience it too," she signed and Kurt blushed.

"I'm still learning," Kurt said and signed. "You can't expect me to get it all right while I'm drunk."

"Alright, enough jibber jabber," David cut in. "Girls, Kurt, have fun. Elena, you stay in there," he pointed at Katherine's belly. "Let's go boys. I got some money to win."

"You know Jeff is going to clean you out, right?" Blaine smirked.

"No way, man. I gots this," David said confidently.

While David and Wes kissed their wives goodbye, Blaine turned to Kurt. "I'll see you in a few hours. We can't be out late anyway because we have our flight tomorrow."

"K," Kurt nodded. He leaned forward and gave Blaine a chaste kiss. "Have fun."

"You too," Blaine kissed his forehead and stepped back. "Come on. Coop's waiting in the car."

Blaine walked out of the house with the guys but instead of them all getting in Blaine's car, Wes and David got into David's. "We'll see you there, B," David called out.

Blaine nodded and hurried to his car. Cooper and he were going to meet up with the guys in a little while. They had one stop to make first.

Cooper and Blaine walked into the jewelry store using the side entrance. While Cooper went to look around under the ruse of buying Monica a gift, Blaine quickly snuck into the back where the store's manager was waiting for him.

"Thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice," Blaine said with a smile.

"No worries," Claudia said as she pulled out her collection of high quality cuffs. "I know how important this moment is for you and the fact that you want to surprise him makes it so much more romantic." Blaine smiled at her and leaned closer to the display of black cuffs. "When is your getaway?"

"Not until after Christmas," Blaine told her. "But we'll be in Ohio starting tomorrow and I wasn't about to go anywhere else but here," he said charmingly.

"Of course not," Claudia replied haughtily. Everyone knew her store was the place to get bonding cuffs. She watched Blaine carefully until his eyes lingered on a cuff for a bit longer than the rest. "One catch your eye?"

"Yeah, this one," Blaine said and pointed to one that had a buckle instead of a clip. Claudia lifted it up and handed it to him. Blaine removed his own cuff and wrapped the new one on, moving his wrist around to test. "And these can be personalized as well?"

"Mhm," Claudia nodded, turning Blaine's hand palm side up. "The stitching would go right here."

Blaine smiled broadly. "Perfect. I'll take two medium sizes. How long will the stitching take?" he asked as he removed the cuff and handed it back to her.

"The stitching itself only takes a short while but I usually have the customers pick them up the next day," Claudia told him. "But since you need this in a rush, I can personally get them done right now. Say, thirty minutes?"

"Sounds good," Blaine said with a nod.

"Alright. Let me get the paperwork for you and then I can get this started."

Blaine thanked her and took a deep breath, excitement and anxiety coursing through him. Kurt was in for the surprise of his life.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next time!

Keep Holding On

A/N: Hello darlings. I can't thank you all enough for the constant love and support. It means the world to me.

MuseInMe3, thank you for being so spectacular.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

The Mysterious K

Once upon a time, there was a 14 year old boy by the name of Blaine Anderson. A horrific event brought Blaine to the hospital to heal. But as his body repaired itself, his heart and his soul were still shattered. A heartbreaking moment brought a different little boy, who was 7 years old, to that same hospital. But despite the tragic events surrounding him, he still had hope and believed in happy endings. That boy gave Blaine a reason to continue fighting for what he knew to be right, the courage he needed to be himself. That boy was the Mysterious K.

We've all read the books. We've all heard the stories of soulmates meeting without knowing. Nothing I've encountered in my entire life can even begin to compare to the love story between Blaine and K. I had the pleasure of meeting K and talking with him the night of The Warblers' final show, and I can honestly say that no one has taken my breath away quite like this young man. His strength and enthusiasm was intoxicating, and their love story is truly one for the ages.

Stayed tuned fans, for I have an exclusive that will break your heart, meld it back together, and give you reason to hope that your own soulmate is out there waiting for you.

Perez Hill

Sebastian pulled up into the driveway of the director's house, his heart racing. The last of the main cast arrived in London the day before and the director called them all for a table reading. He was fairly certain that the author of the books would be here as well and there was no denying the fact that he was scared. Terrified even. He knew most of his lines already. He was on his third read of the first book, and he dissected Ryan as best he could. But that didn't stop his nerves. Sebastian was the newbie of the cast. The other actors were movie veterans that had already worked together on various projects so the way he saw it, he was the outsider. It didn't matter than he nailed his audition. If he didn't blend well with his cast mates, things could go wrong very quickly.

He turned off his rental car and rested his head back, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. He knew he could do this. He just needed to stop thinking so much and not go in there as if he owned the place. Humility is key, he thought. Don't be a douchebag and you'll be fine. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. He had a missed call from Blaine and a voicemail. He thought about not listening to it yet, but something nagged at the back of his mind. Maybe hearing a friendly voice will calm my nerves. With a sigh, he called his voicemail.

"Seb, hey," Blaine's voice was hushed, his tone reluctant. Sebastian shifted in his seat. "I know you're busy but um, I really need to talk to you. It's nothing bad, not exactly. It's just," Blaine paused and Sebastian waited, anxious. "Hunter spoke to Kurt," Blaine rushed out and Sebastian sat straighter. "They met during Regionals and he said some things that hinted at him knowing that Kurt's my soulmate and Kurt overheard some things about him that weren't exactly good from a couple of Warblers and now Kurt's asking me all kinds of questions that I can't really answer without telling him everything and I don't want to say something that will upset you," Blaine took a deep breath and continued.

"I'm sorry for rambling. I just, I don't know what I'm supposed to do here, Seb. I hate keeping things from Kurt and my history with Hunter is something I feel he should know sooner rather than later, but I can't tell him any of it without telling him your history and I can't do that. I won't do that. I told him that it wasn't my story to tell, I didn't even mention your name, and he dropped it for now. But he's going to ask again. And we're headed out to Ohio for a week and there's a good chance that we'll see Hunter while we're there. I'm sorry for leaving all this on your voicemail but I don't know if Hunter's going to say anything to him about what happened between us three and I feel like I should at least warn Kurt that Hunter may not receive me well," there was another pause, a longer one, and for a moment Sebastian thought that Blaine had ended the call. But then Blaine spoke again, only this time, his tone was gentle and caring. "I really miss talking to you, Seb. I know you're busy, and I know you're probably avoiding me butâyou're my best friend. I miss you. Give me a call soon, ok? Or text me. Just let me know that you're alive. Don't shut me out, please. I love you, man. Bye."

Sebastian sat motionless for a moment, Blaine's words repeating in his mind over and over again. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. Was he supposed to be angry that Hunter spoke to Kurt? Was he supposed to be upset with Blaine for bringing Hunter up when he knew Sebastian hated it? Should he worry about how Hunter would treat Blaine in front of Kurt or of what he will say? Should he worry about how Hunter's feeling? He's certain that Hunter is hurting right now, but should he think on it? Could he truly ignore it? Sebastian shook his head and took a quick breath before calling his soulmate. He needed to hear his voice, if only for a moment.

"Hello?" Hunter answered, his voice tentative.

"Hey," Sebastian replied much softer than he intended. "Are you ok?"

Hunter was quiet for moment. "I'm ok."

Sebastian nodded to himself. "Ok," he said a bit awkwardly. "I just wanted to check in on you."

"I'm ok," Hunter repeated and Sebastian could hear the smile in his voice. It made him smile a little too. "How's London?"

"It's alright," Sebastian shrugged. "I haven't really done anything but sit in my hotel room and read my script."

"Sounds fun," Hunter said with a bit of sarcasm and Sebastian snorted.

"Oh yes. Loads of fun," Sebastian said with a lightness that he barely recognized. A sudden pang of pain shot through his heart that made him grit his teeth. "I have to go. But I'll call you."

"Oh," Hunter spoke quietly. "Yeah, ok."

Sebastian could hear the slight quiver in his voice and it made the pain in his heart worsen a bit. "Bye, Hunter," he said and hung up. He held the phone tightly, willing the sudden ache to go away. A few tears streamed down his cheeks as the pain slowly subsided. With a shaky breath, Sebastian wiped the tears away and got out of the car.

In Ohio, Hunter quietly sobbed into Sebastian's sweater.

Just as Sebastian reached the director's door, he remembered Blaine's message. He sent him a quick text then knocked. He held his script and the copy of his book in his hands, took a deep breath, and pushed all thoughts of Hunter and Blaine away. He needed to focus on his role right now. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about Hunter anyway. He was supposed to be focusing on himself.

The door opened up and an older woman stood there with a smile. "Hello," she greeted. "Are you Sebastian?"

Sebastian smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Great. Come on in." She ushered him in and led him to the conference room. "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea, please," Sebastian said politely. She nodded at him and left him at the double door, then walked to the kitchen. Sebastian gulped and took a quick breath before knocking. He heard a man yell out to come in so he opened the door and smiled a little.

"Mr. Smythe," the director, Isabel, greeted. "Please, come in." Sebastian took a seat in the empty chair and smiled at his cast mates. "Now that everyone's here, let's get started. My name is Isabel, I will be the director for this series. This is Mark, he's the writer of the books and he will be writing the rest of the screenplays." Mark greeted the cast with a nod. "Mark and I are really glad to have you all here. We want you to know that we were very thorough in our search for the perfect actors for these movies and we're confident in the work all of you can do. Am I correct in assuming you're all staying in hotels right now?" the cast members all nodded. "Well pack your things because you won't be there by the end of the week. We want you to really dive into these roles and we feel the only way to do that is by living on set. We've got trailers for each of you, and several for other crew members. As your contracts stated, we will be filming these movies back to back. For the next several years you will eat, breathe, and sleep The Age of Misrule. We hope you're ready because we are in for a very long and probably very stressful ride."

Sebastian let the words sink in. He knew what he was getting into when he accepted the role. The movies were being funded by the author and an independent film company, and his agent had warned him that this would take up all of his time for at least six years. At the time, Sebastian was thrilled at the prospect of it. But now he couldn't help but worry about what would happen between him and Hunter during those six years. He knew he would wait forever for his love. He just hoped that Hunter would wait for him too.

"I am never taking a regular airplane again," Kurt said to Vanessa as they got off the private jet.

Vanessa smiled and nodded. "It is pretty cool," she signed. "Has Blaine told you about the beach house in Hawaii?"

Kurt stopped and turned to her. "There's a beach house in Hawaii?" he asked with a grin.

Vanessa nodded again and Kurt squealed. "The guys all share it and it's very private. It's gorgeous."

"I am never going to get used to this," Kurt told her with a laugh.

Blaine glanced at Wes with a raised brow. "Why do I get the feeling like these two are going to give us trouble?" he said with his face turned away so Vanessa couldn't read his lips.

Wes snorted. "You mean more trouble than Katherine and her? Just imagine when it's all three of them. Summer vacation is going to be interesting this year."

"Yeah, especially with Elena running around," Blaine laughed. "Or rather, crawling around."

Jeff came up behind them and pouted. "I miss David."

"Katherine can't travel," Wes reminded him for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Jeff crossed his arms and huffed. "I know, but I still miss him."

"We could've stayed in LA," Nick sang with a smirk.

"And miss your mama's cooking?" Jeff asked dramatically. "No way!"

Vanessa and Kurt walked over to them with mischievous smiles. "We all ready to go?" Kurt asked.

Wes narrowed his eyes on them. "What are two up to?" he asked with suspicious. "I know that look, babe."

Vanessa gasped, placing her hand over heart. "But I'm the sweet one. How could you ever think that I was up to something?"

Wes gave her a disbelieving look though a smirk played at his lips. "Uh, huh. Sure. You've been spending too much time with Kat."

Vanessa simply grinned. "Not possible."

"We're ready, gentlemen," the driver for one of the cars told them.

Wes, Vanessa, Jeff, and Nick headed toward the black tinted SUV that would take them to Westerville while Kurt and Blaine walked to the town car that would take them to Lima. "We'll see you Thursday, Blaine," Wes said to him. "And we'll see you on Friday, Kurt."

"See ya," Kurt said with a wave and got in the car. Blaine got in after him and shut the door. "You ready to be stuck inside the house for the next two weeks?"

Blaine smiled lovingly. "As long as I'm stuck with you then I'll be just fine," he said. As far as Kurt knew, they would be in Lima until after Christmas and then spend New Year's Eve in LA with the guys. He hoped he could keep up the ruse until it was time.

"Always the romantic," Kurt teased lightly with a light blush on his cheeks. "I better call Dad and let him know we're headed home."

Blaine nodded and pulled out his cellphone to turn back on. He listened to Kurt talk with his father and it reminded him that he needed to tell Burt of the change of plans. He internally cringed. Sure he and Burt got along well. But he was essentially telling him that he planned on having intercourse with his son. That was going to be awkward no matter how he approached it. He felt his phone vibrate in his hands and he looked down at it to see that Sebastian had text him.

From Sebastian Smythe:

Don't be such a drama queen B. I'm alive. You can tell Kurt whatever you need to. Miss you too.

Blaine smiled softly to himself. He was glad Sebastian at least text him, but that didn't stop him from worrying about his best friend.

From Blaine Anderson:

I'm still not sure what I'm going to tell him but thanks for the approval I guess. Call me soon, ok? I really want to talk to you. Don't shut me out. I hope you're doing alright. Love you bro.

Blaine pocketed his phone with a sigh. He didn't expect Sebastian to text him back.

"Dad?" Kurt called out as he and Blaine walked into the house. Blaine inhaled deeply and smiled. He loved the warm feeling he received from the Hudmel home.

"In here," Burt replied.

Blaine and Kurt walked to the living room with their luggage. Kurt raised a brow when he saw his dad, Carole, and Finn standing there waiting for them, Finn wearing the hugest grin. "What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

"Boys, leave your luggage right where it is and follow us," Carole said before turning around and heading upstairs, Finn following her closely.

"Dad," Kurt said slowly. "What is going on?"

Burt smirked. "Leave your luggage right where it is, and follow us," he said and walked up the stairs.

Blaine glanced at Kurt curiously. "I guess we should leave our things here."

"And follow them," Kurt said with confusion. What was his family up to?

They walked upstairs and down the hall towards Kurt's room. The attic stairs were down and he scowled. "Blaine is not sleeping in the attic, Dad," he yelled out.

"As if I could make him. You'd probably sneak up here after I fell asleep anyway," Burt yelled back. "Get your butts up here already."

Blaine looked at Kurt and he shrugged. Kurt walked up the stairs with Blaine close behind and his jaw dropped when he saw what his family had done to the attic. The piles of boxes and old furniture were gone and the room had been transformed into a personal music studio. Blaine took the final steps upstairs and a smile crept up his face.

"You are part of this family now, Blaine," Burt said with a smile. "We wanted to do something special for you and since you're kinda stuck in the house, we figured this could help you from being bored out of your mind. Especially when Kurt goes back to school. Consider this your Christmas present from us. When inspiration strikes or you just need some time to yourself, you can come here."

Tears pooled in Blaine's eyes. He grew up hiding his love of music from his parents and here was Kurt's family building him a studio. He couldn't believe it. "It's wonderful," he said softly, his fingers trailing the soundboard. He turned to them with a watery smile. "Thank you."

"How did you get this all done?" Kurt asked in awe. "I was only gone for a few days."

"We stored the equipment at the shop and the day you left we cleaned the attic out," Carole told them.

"And by we, she means me, Puck, Sam, and Mike," Finn said with a crooked grin. "Artie helped too, with hooking up the soundboard and all that. Getting him up and down the stairs was kinda hard though. But funny," he nodded.

"This is really amazing," Blaine said quietly. There was a vulnerability in his eyes that reminded Burt of the boy he saw playing in the park. "Thank you guys so much. I love it."

Carole walked over and hugged him. She pulled back and smiled. "Are you boys hungry?"

"I am," Finn answered instead.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You're always hungry, Finn."

"How about I make us some lunch," Carole said with a pat on Blaine's shoulder.

"That sounds great. Thank you, Carole," Blaine smiled.

"I'll help," Kurt offered, kissing Blaine's cheek before walking down stairs after Carole.

"What are you making?" Finn asked and followed them, leaving Burt and Blaine alone.

Burt approached him with a concerned smile. "You ok, son?"

"Yeah," Blaine quickly answered. "I'm just in shock. This was really kind of you guys."

"All I want in life is to make my kids happy and that includes you too," Burt said and once again, he saw a flash of vulnerability in his eyes. "I've been meaning to ask, will you be seeing your parents while you're here? We'll be happy to have them for Christmas dinner. Or we could go to them if it suits them better."

Blaine's smile faltered. "Um, no. I won't be seeing them. My dad always takes my mom to some island for Christmas. Even when we were little we spent Christmas on the beach or in a hotel room."

Burt nodded thoughtfully. "Well the invite is open for whenever."

"I'll pass it along to my mom," Blaine said softly. He glanced at the stairs then turned back to Burt. "While I have you up here and away from Kurt," he said with a hushed tone and Burt couldn't help but chuckle. "I wanted to let you know that we won't be here for the whole two weeks."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm surprising him with a trip to the Rocky Mountains. We leave the day after Christmas," Blaine told him.

Burt was quiet for a moment. "I'm assuming that you're taking him to a private cabin?"

"Yes, sir," Blaine nodded. "We'll be there for two weeks."

"And you think you're ready?" Burt questioned. "That he's ready?"

"Yes, I do," Blaine said with confidence.

Burt nodded and patted Blaine's back. "Well then, ok. Thank you for telling me."

"Thank you for accepting me," Blaine said without thinking. "For accepting us. I know it couldn't have been easy to wrap your head around all this."

"I'm still getting used to it," Burt admitted. "But I couldn't have asked for a better soulmate for Kurt." Blaine smiled and looked down a bit bashfully. "Let's go see what they're making for lunch. Hopefully it's nothing too healthy," he joked.

"I'll be right down," Blaine told him.

Blaine waited until Burt was gone to really take in the room. The equipment couldn't have been cheap and it made him feel less guilty about the extravagant gifts he got for them. He took a picture of the room and text it to David.

To David Thompson:

Kurt's parents built me a studio for Christmas. How jealous are you? ;p

As Blaine walked down the steps, he received David's reply.

To Blaine Anderson:

Yo! That shit is sick! You betta drop some epic beats in there my friend.

Blaine laughed and text him back.

To David Thompson:

Oh, I plan to. Call Jeff when you can. He bitched about missing you the entire flight.

Blaine walked downstairs and to the kitchen when David text again.

To Blaine Anderson:

Big baby. I'll call him now.

Blaine walked into the kitchen and stopped in the entryway. Kurt was sitting on the counter with his leg tucked underneath him, holding a cup of coffee. Finn was scarfing down a sandwich. And Burt was complaining to Carole about the sandwich meat Kurt was forcing him to eat. He smiled at the image. This is what family was all about.

Kurt and Blaine spent all day Tuesday with Kurt's family. Finn even told Rachel that he couldn't hang out and that she couldn't come over because he was busy having bro time. She whined but accepted it, encouraging him to spend time with Kurt and Blaine. When Kurt told Santana that she and Quinn couldn't come over either, Santana had a fit. Kurt held the phone away from his face as she alternated between yelling at him in Spanish and English. But soon after silence filled the air and Kurt thought that Santana had hung up on him in a rage. He put the phone next to his ear and opened his mouth to say hello, but stopped when he heard her moan. He immediately hung up. He did not need to listen to whatever Quinn was doing to Santana. Although he did smile to himself. He was happy they were finally together.

They spent the day playing board games as a family. It had been Blaine's idea, telling the Hudmel's that it was something that he and Cooper had always done when their father was having his business parties, and Burt jumped at the chance. He was starting to see that many family things he did with Kurt, and later on with Carole and Finn, were things that Blaine missed out on as a child. The last time Blaine visited he told Burt how much he loved having dinner with them because there was talk and laughter. Family dinners at his house were silent affairs. Then in the attic when he told Burt how their Christmas's were always spent in hotels, it hurt his heart. He had heard tidbits from Kurt that Blaine's childhood wasn't exactly the happiest, and he wanted to make sure that he did everything he could to make Blaine feel at home. It was when they played the board games that Burt saw the kid in Blaine and it warmed his heart. So did the smile on Kurt's face whenever he so much as glanced in Blaine's direction. Burt could really get used to having Blaine around.

Later that night, after Kurt took a shower, he walked downstairs to find Finn, Blaine, and Burt watching the end of the football game. He had to stop on the staircase and watch them for a moment. It was a beautiful sight, the three of them bonding, and Kurt had no choice but to take a picture. He wanted desperately to tweet it to the fans, to tell the world how happy it made him to see his soulmate get along so well with his father and brother. But since he couldn't, not yet anyway, he simply tweeted how indescribably happy he was at that very moment. He watched Blaine as he pulled out his phone and read the tweet. Blaine looked up and met his gaze, a soft smile on his lips. He patted the spot next to him and Kurt quickly made his way over, curling his legs underneath him and cuddling into Blaine's arms. He could care less about the game, but he would watch it with them just to be a part of their bonding.

Wednesday morning after Burt and Carole left for work, Kurt asked Blaine a question that caught him completely off guard.

"You want to invite Dave over?" Blaine asked, needing the clarification. "While I'm here?" Kurt nodded, worrying his bottom lip. "I didn't know you two had gotten so close."

"We haven't, not exactly," Kurt shrugged. "I justâI don't know. I kinda feel like I owe it to him to tell him about us."

"You owe it to him how?" Blaine asked seriously with a raised brow.

"Because he told me his biggest secret," Kurt said quietly, unsure of why Blaine seemed upset. "I mean, I don't owe him anything, but I feel like it's only fair that I trust him with this when he trusted me with his soulmates' name. I don't think Dave has any real friends, Blaine. He has his football buddies sure, but they would completely alienate him if they found out he was gay. With the exception of Finn, Mike, Puck, and Sam that is, but they aren't really friends either. He spent a long time hating me because he wasn't as strong as I am and he took it out on me by being a bully. The guys have never forgiven him for that even though he doesn't harass me anymore. But I have. I'm the only person he really talks to. I just want to make sure he's ok. I want him to know that I really am his friend."

Blaine was quiet as he thought it over. He wasn't too keen on the idea of trusting Dave with their secret. This was the same guy that practically tortured Kurt all through high school and just because Kurt had come to terms with it didn't mean that he was ok with the guy who bullied his love. But at the same time, he was admittedly curious about Dave. He could understand why Dave acted the way he did and the fact that he came to Kurt with his biggest secret meant that he trusted Kurt. And Blaine knew that Kurt was touched by Dave's disclosure. With a sigh, he nodded.

"Alright, yeah," Blaine told him and Kurt couldn't hide the grin that spread across his face. "If you trust him then ok. Invite him over."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Kurt asked, needing Blaine to be certain.

"I'm sure," Blaine smiled softly.

"Ok great!" Kurt swung his legs over and jumped off his bed. "I'll be right back. I gotta get the number from Finn."

"Hey, Finn?" Finn turned his head towards Kurt but kept his eyes on the television. "Can I have Karofsky's number?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to invite him over."

Finn paused his video game and gave Kurt his full attention. "Why?" he asked with more firmness.

"Because I want to," Kurt said with a huff. "We're kinda friends now. Or haven't you noticed that he's not screwing with me anymore?"

"I mean, I have but, Blaine's here," Finn said as if to remind him.

"I know that, Finn," Kurt said in a calm voice which Finn knew meant that he was moments away from snapping. "I'm going to introduce him to Blaine and then the three of us are going to hang out. Do not ask me why. It's none of your business. Can I have his number or not?" he gritted out.

Finn eyed him warily and nodded. "Yeah, it's in my phone."

"Thank you," Kurt said with an eye roll as he grabbed Finn's phone from the bed. He typed it into his phone and tossed Finn's phone back. "And before you ask, no, you can't hang out with us. In fact, why don't you go to Rachel's? Aren't her dads out of town until tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but what if you need me or something?" Finn asked but then froze, as if to realize that Rachel's dads being gone meant they had the house to themselves. "I'll go to Rachel's," he decided, going into his menu to save his game.

"Good choice," Kurt smirked and walked out.

Kurt hopped on his bed and tucked his feet underneath him. He took a deep breath and dialed Dave's number, blowing Blaine a kiss when saw that he was watching him.

"Hello?"

"Dave?"

Dave paused. "Yeah?"

"Hey, it's Kurt," Kurt said cheerily.

"Um, hi. What do you want?" Dave asked harsher than he intended.

Kurt ignored his tone, understanding Dave's apprehension and continued. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over? Like, right now actually."

"Uhâwhy?"

"Because we're friends," Kurt said with a shrug. "Friends hang out, don't they?"

"Yeah, I guess," Dave said cautiously. "This isn't like some trick right?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No, of course not. I just wanted to hang out," he turned to Blaine who was still watching him. "I actually wanted you to meet somebody. It's kind of a secret and I thought that maybe I could trust you with it."

Dave was quiet for a long while and Kurt waited patiently, knowing he was still there because he could hear him breathing. "Um, ok," he said hesitantly. "I mean, sure. I guess."

"Great! So I'll see you in say, fifteen, twenty minutes?"

"Yeah, I'll be there soon."

"Alright. See you then," Kurt ended the call and smiled at Blaine. "He's on his way."

Blaine nodded, his lips pursed. "I was thinking that we could hang out in my studio. The living room is a bit too open to really talk and I'm not exactly comfortable with him being in our bedroom."

"It's our bedroom now?" Kurt said with a raised brow though the way Blaine said it made his heart race.

"It is as long as I'm here," Blaine said lowly, smirking at the way Kurt blushed. "I figured the studio would be the safest bet. It's spacious enough for all three of us but it still has some privacy. We could even close the door if you wanted."

"And you don't mind sharing your special place with him?" Kurt questioned.

"As opposed to what? Sharing this bedroom with him," Blaine said as he crawled over to Kurt. "This special place where you dream about me," he pushed Kurt onto his back and towered over him. "This space where I make all of your fantasies come true," he pressed himself against Kurt and rolled his hips, Kurt inhaled sharply. "Where I make you scream my name?" he whispered hotly into Kurt's ear.

Kurt whined and shook his head. "No, no. Definitely not. No."

Blaine grinned triumphantly and pulled back completely. "That's what I thought."

Kurt leaned on his elbows and scowled. "You are totally unfair."

Blaine sent him a wink. "I'll make it up to you later.

Dave knocked on the door reluctantly. What the hell had he been thinking coming over here? Sure he and Kurt were getting along fine at school but this was completely different. This made them know each other on a more personal level and Dave wasn't sure how he felt about that. At the same time, he hadn't had anyone to talk to since school got out and his stupid friends were getting on his nerves. Maybe hanging out with Kurt wouldn't be too bad. Then again, Kurt said he wanted him to meet someone, his soulmate, Dave assumed, and that meant that he wouldn't really be able to talk to Kurt anyway. This was a bad idea. He should've stayed home. He thought about turning around but then Kurt opened the door and he had no choice but to go in.

"Ok, so before we go upstairs, I want to say something and I need you to listen to me," Kurt said as they entered the living room.

"That doesn't sound good," Dave muttered as he looked around.

"He's upstairs," Kurt answered Dave's unspoken question. "The person I want you meet, my soulmate. He's upstairs. And Finn's gone. It's just us three."

"Ok," Dave said, waiting for Kurt to continue.

Kurt took a deep breath and launched into the speech he'd rehearsed. Blaine stood just around the corner of the stairs and watched everything unfold. "I told my soulmate about you, about our past, about your secret," Dave's face fell. "But you need to understand that I tell him everything. I wasn't being malicious, I was simply sharing the important parts of my life with him and you are an important part of my life. Whether it was good or bad, you've always had a big impact on me. Recently it's been good and that is why I invited you over. I know that telling me was probably one of the hardest things you've ever had to do. It took a lot of courage and trust and believe me when I tell you that I do not take that for granted. You trusted me with you biggest secret and now I want to trust you with mine." Kurt took a breath and waited for Dave to explode.

Dave didn't explode however. Instead he just stared at Kurt for a moment. "Are you done? Or are you going to go on another of your rants?"

"I'm done," Kurt said with a nod.

"Ok," Dave shrugged one shoulder. "Sure. Who's your soulmate?"

"That's it?" Kurt asked slowly. "No freak outs? No angry outbursts?"

Dave shook his head. "I'm not as angry as I used to be. Not since I've accepted who I am. Not since I started coming to you."

Kurt smiled at that. "I'm really happy to hear that," Dave returned the smile. "Are you ready to find out who my soulmate is?"

"I guess," Dave shrugged. "Why are you making this such a big deal?"

"This isn't a big deal, it's a huge deal," Kurt said seriously. "You can't tell anyone about this. I mean, people are going to find out anyway but right now, you can't say a word."

"Um, okâ"

Kurt eyed him for a moment then nodded. "Ok," he turned his head towards the stairs. "Babe," he called out. A second later Blaine came out from around the corner. Dave's jaw dropped. "Dave, meet my soulmate, Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is Dave."

Blaine took in the burly football player and smiled charmingly. "Hey, Dave. It's nice to meet you."

Dave glanced at Kurt, then up at Blaine, and again at Kurt. He took a step back. "Whoa."

Kurt laughed. "I told you it was huge."

"So do any of your friends know?" Dave asked as he and Kurt took a seat on the futon, Blaine taking a seat on the rolling chair after he shut the attic door. "I mean, Finn obviously knows and I'm guessing Santana knows, but what about the rest of the glee club?"

"They know," Kurt told him. "Except Mr. Schue but that's because I don't trust him."

"How did they react to this?" Dave wondered, his eyes briefly meeting Blaine's.

"They all reacted how I expected them to. Lots of flailing and, 'Oh my god Kurt! No way'! Except for Puckerman. He was actually kinda angry at me. He thought I made the whole thing up and super freaked out, which of course made Zizes freak out. But once he settled down, he was cool about it," Kurt said.

"You know Puck's like, a huge Blaine Anderson fan right?" Dave asked him with a smirk.

"What? No he's not."

"Uh, yeah he is," Dave assured him. "I've been listening to him sing The Warblers' songs in the locker room for years. I used to tell him to stop being so gay and he'd always get in my face about it and tell me that Anderson was the man," as soon as the words slipped out, Dave panicked. "I mean, I didn't mean that, not like that, I mean."

"Hey, it's fine," Kurt reached over and placed his hand on Dave's arm. "I knew what you meant and it's fine."

Dave shrunk into himself with embarrassment. Kurt looked at Blaine with a frown. Blaine smiled sympathetically. Five minutes with Dave and he could clearly see why Kurt wanted to help him.

"Kurt tells me you're on the football team," Blaine said politely.

Dave looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah."

"What position?"

"Right guard."

"Cool," Blaine smiled. "My brother was the quarterback when he was in high school and I guess technically I would've been too if I hadn't been so focused on music."

"But if you hadn't been so focused on music then maybe you wouldn't be a huge pop star now," Dave said with a slight blush. He couldn't believe that he was actually having a conversation with Blaine Anderson.

"Maybe. I'm sure my dad would've been happier if I had but then again, that's probably why I didn't," Blaine said thoughtfully. "Who knows? I do enjoy the sport though. Much more than Kurt over here who fell asleep during last night's game," he teased.

"What?" Kurt said innocently. "You had your arm around me and I was comfortable."

Blaine rolled his eyes fondly. "So are you planning on pursuing football after high school?"

"Naw, I'm not that good," Dave said truthfully. "I'm actually thinking about pursuing journalism."

"Really?" Kurt said surprised. "I didn't know you wrote."

"No one does," Dave told him. "Except maybe my dad. That's why I asked you about those letters."

"Letters?" Blaine wondered.

"Yeah, I uh," Dave looked down shyly. "I asked Kurt a little while back what he thought about me writing my soulmate letters and just keeping them until I met him. Writing's kinda been my way out, ya know? Like, I feel more peaceful after doing it."

Blaine smiled at Dave, completely understanding how he felt. That's what music did for him. "If that's what writing does for you then I say go for it. Who knows? You might become wildly successful from it. But you'll never know unless you try," Dave smiled up at him. "And hey, if you ever end up doing celebrity interviews, let us know. I could hook you up with some pretty cool A-Listers."

Dave chuckled lightly. He had no intention of ever becoming that kind of journalist. He wanted to write hard hitting thought provoking stories. But the fact that Blaine offered made him feel good. "Thanks, man. I'll keep that in mind."

Blaine, Wes, Jeff and Nick walked into Dalton Thursday afternoon. Vanessa was already there, having gone earlier with Wes' mother to spend the day with her, and Kurt was at home hanging out with his girls. Nostalgia hit them the moment they stepped into the building. None of them had been back since they graduated and they couldn't help but grin as memories flooded them.

"Breath it in boys," Jeff said with a deep inhale. "Our legacy is in the air."

"David is going to be so bummed that he missed this," Blaine smiled as they walked towards the Warbler's rehearsal room. "Man, everything looks exactly the same."

"Right," Nick laughed. "I figured they'd redecorate by now."

Wes turned to them with a grin. "My mom said that the Dean doesn't want to change anything because these halls are filled with Warbler magic."

Jeff threw his head back and laughed. "Dean Winchester always was a riot."

"You didn't think that when he was giving you detention," Nick said pointedly.

"Yeah, I did," Jeff nodded. "I just never said it because I was at him for his unjust punishments."

Wes snorted. "Unjust my ass."

They turned the corner and could hear Hunter's voice. It sounded like he was scolding the Warblers and the guys couldn't help but grin with excitement. Wes had thought about telling Hunter that they were going to visit but decided against it. He couldn't wait to see his best friend's face when he saw them.

"You think that just because we're legends doesn't mean that you have to rehearse?" Hunter shouted angrily. "The reason we were legends, the reason our legacy continued, is because all we did was rehearse!"

"If he's such a legend then why is he still here?" Jake muttered.

Hunter heard him but said nothing. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. The boys refused to listen to him and he couldn't blame them. If any of his teachers had been as emotionally unstable as he felt the past month then he would've had a hard time respecting their authority.

"Well, well, well," The Warbler boys turned and gasped. "What do we have here?"

"I do believe it's called rehearsal, Wes," Blaine grinned. "You know that thing we do 24 hours a day."

"We don'tâok yeah, we do rehearse that much," Wes said with a nod. "Perfection takes hard work. Doesn't it, Hunter?"

Hunter gaped at them for a moment before laughing. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" he asked, quickly making his way to his old friends.

Wes engulfed him in a hug and laughed. "We wanted to surprise you," he pulled back a bit and took a good look at Hunter. "You look good, bro."

"Thanks," Hunter breathed out, turning to Jeff and Nick. "Where's David?" He hugged them quickly then turned to Blaine.

"Back in LA. Katherine is too close to her due date to travel," Wes told him.

Blaine smiled a bit hesitantly before Hunter threw his arms around him in a big embrace. Blaine was momentarily caught off guard, not at all expecting the warm welcome. But he put his arms around Hunter and hugged him back tightly. When they parted, Hunter's eyes glistened with tears. Hunter turned to his students who were whispering amongst themselves with a smug grin. "Gentlemen, bow down to the legacy that is The Warblers!"

A few boys actually started to bow and the men laughed. "You don't have to really bow," Nick told them.

Jeff scoffed and walked over to the councilman table. "Yeah they do," he said as he took a seat. "Bow down to my epicness boys."

Wes rolled his eyes. "Clearly Jeff is the most humble of us all."

"Pft," Jeff waved his hand dismissively. "What are we working on today?" he asked as he sat back, putting his feet up on the table.

"Jeffrey, feet down," Hunter said sternly. Jeff pouted but did as he was told. "They're working on their Nationals' songs. Or they would be if they stopped fooling around. They seem to think that they don't need to rehearse," he said with a glare at his students. The boys looked down in embarrassment for being called out in front of The Warblers.

"Man, I missed you and that councilman voice," Wes said with a fond smile.

"I didn't," Jeff muttered. "He was so mean to me."

"Because you never listened," Blaine said and Jeff stuck his tongue out at him. "Mr. Clarington is right though gentlemen. Do you honestly think that we've come this far by rehearsing our songs a few hundred times? Try a few thousand."

"That's what I tried to tell them," Hunter said with a shake of his head.

"We rehearsed so much that even now we could probably perform it with as much precision as we did when we were students here," Nick told them.

"In fact," Blaine turned to him with smile. "We should put it to the test," he turned to Hunter. "What do you say Hunter? Our Nationals' duet?"

"Uh, I don't know about that," Hunter said cautiously. He still sung every once in a while but he hadn't performed in years.

"Come on, Mr. Clarington," Wes challenged good naturedly. "You talk the talk, but can you still walk the walk?"

Jeff oohed and Hunter sent him a glare, though his lips upturned. "Alright, fine. Let's show these boys how it's done."

After a flawless performance by Hunter and the guys, the Dalton boys had no choice but to rehearse with as much passion as they could muster. They wanted to show the guys that they were just as good as them. They wanted to make them proud. And after Hunter embarrassed them in front of Dalton's legends, they did everything they could to redeem themselves.

"Not bad, gentlemen," Hunter praised his students. "That was actually not awful," The boys smiled with pride. "Go rest for a little while; get some food and coffee, then meet back in an hour."

The boys groaned. "Seriously?" one asked.

"Seriously," Hunter grinned.

The boys grumbled and made their way out of the rehearsal room. "I'm going to go check on Vanessa," Wes told the guys before walking out.

"Oh hey! Is Mr. Chaplin still teaching Chemistry?" Jeff asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Hunter raised a brow. "Yes, and he still has that photo of you on his wall. You're his cautionary tale every single year."

Jeff barked out a laugh. "Awesome! Let's go say hi, Nicky!"

Blaine shook his head with an amused grin as they left. Mr. Chaplin was probably going to have a heart attack when he saw them. He turned to Hunter who was watching him with curiosity. Gone was the camaraderie and an awkwardness settled between them. "Kurt told me you spoke to him," Blaine said, regretting it the second the words came out. That wasn't how he wanted to start the conversation. "I'm not upset or anything. You just kinda freaked him out."

Hunter nodded slowly, slipping his hands into his pants. "Does he know about us? Our fallout? Does he know about you and Sebastian?"

"Yes and no," Blaine said with a small shrug. "He knows about my relationship with Seb, just like you know about our relationship," he said with a pointed look. Hunter had always believed that Blaine and Sebastian had gone further than what they said. "But he doesn't know about our fallout. He doesn't know that you're Sebastian's soulmate."

"Why not?"

"It's not my story to tell," Blaine simply put. "Parts of it are, but unless you and Seb tell me that I can, I really can't tell him anything."

Hunter looked away and took a deep breath. "Might as well. He's your soulmate. He deserves to know the truth." Blaine nodded but said nothing. "Have you spoken to him?" he asked, his voice small.

"Not recently. He's been busy with his new movie," Blaine said as he walked around the couch to look out the window.

"It's his dream role," Hunter said with a bitter laugh. Hunter walked to the window and stood next to Blaine. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted to everything," he spoke somberly. "I think back on my behavior and I'm embarrassed. I should've believed you."

"And you believe me now?" Blaine questioned.

Hunter was quiet for a moment and when he spoke, his voice was nothing but a whisper. "I'm trying to. I want to."

"He still loves you," Blaine said softly.

"I know," Hunter replied. "I still love him too. But I don'tâI don't know if we'llâ" Hunter trailed off, his voice thick with emotion.

Blaine turned to him. "Hunter, look at me." With reluctance Hunter looked at him. The moment their eyes met, Hunter broke into tears. Blaine pulled him into his arms. "It's ok, it's going to be ok."

"I miss him so much," Hunter muttered into Blaine's shoulder. "Every day the pain gets worse and worse. How did he do it? How did he handle this?"

"Not nearly as well as you I'm sure," Blaine said as he rubbed his back.

"How could I possibly be handling this any better than him?" Hunter snapped. He tried backing out of Blaine's arms but Blaine wouldn't let go.

"Trust me when I tell you that he did not handle things well," Blaine said gently. "But he dealt with it as best as he could and now you do too," Blaine pulled away and held Hunter by the shoulders. "Don't ever give up hope, Hunter. He needs you just as much as you need him. You just have to be patient. Give him time. Give yourself time. You both need to heal."

"But what if he forgets about me?" Hunter said brokenly. "What if he decides that I'm not worth the wait anymore?"

"He won't, because you are," Blaine said with a soft firmness. "You can do this, Hunter. I have faith in you guys."

Hunter took a shaky breath and nodded. "God, I'm so tired of crying," he said with a small laugh, wiping his tears away. "I haven't cried like this since my 18th birthday."

"Crying's good for the soul," Blaine said with a small smile. "Just hang in there. When he's ready he'll come back."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

Hunter nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm glad you came today. I've wanted to talk to you for a while but I figured you hated me."

"I could never hate you," Blaine said with sincerity. "You're my brother. Brothers fight all the time," Hunter offered him a smile. "Come on. Let's go make sure Jeff hasn't started another fire."

Hunter scoffed and shook his head, gathering himself before walking out. Blaine followed with a small smile. He knew that he and Hunter would end up talking today but he had been ready for a fight. The fact that Hunter broke down instead worried him immensely. While they seemed to have finally buried the hatchet, Blaine couldn't help but think about how Sebastian was doing. He needed to get Sebastian to open up to him, the sooner the better.

A/N: See ya next week. :)

What's Done Is Done

A/N: Hello my darling readers. I need to thank you all again for the love and support. This fic has reached its 1000 review mark and I cannot even fathom how that happened. I'm flabbergasted by all of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Also, I'm sorry for the delay on this update. This was a very difficult chapter to write for a lot of reasons. This isn't exactly the happiest of chapters, but it's a necessary one. Don't judge it too harshly please.

I know you're all anxiously waiting for Klaine's getaway and for them to bond but I ask you to please be patient with me. It will happen and when it does, it will be amazing.

In case you haven't noticed, I've added Hunter and Sebastian to the character list. They are an important part to this story and I felt they needed to be represented. This chapter, just like this story, is Klaine with a side of Huntbastian.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for always knowing where I've gone wrong.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

By the time Blaine made it home from Dalton, Kurt was already cooking dinner. Carole had the late shift so it was just the boys for the night. Burt and Finn asked Blaine if he wanted to watch the game with them but Blaine opted out. He got more enjoyment out of watching Kurt make dinner. The domesticity of it all made Blaine's heart yearn for their own place. He watched with adoring eyes as Kurt stirred the contents in the pot and when Kurt looked over his shoulder, he could only grin at the blush that spread across Kurt's cheeks. Kurt truly was a thing of beauty.

Once they finished eating, they descended to Kurt's room for the night. Blaine was sitting against the headboard with Kurt settled in-between his legs. He had his arms wrapped around Kurt's torso, his chin tucked in the crook of Kurt's neck. The television was on but neither was paying attention. Blaine was too busy scratching his stubble against Kurt's skin and Kurt was desperately trying not to giggle. Blaine preferred to be clean shaven, but one comment from Kurt about how sexy he looked with stubble was all it took for Blaine to forgo shaving for a few days.

"How was your afternoon with the girls?" Blaine asked, his fingers lightly trailing up and down Kurt's arm.

"It was good," Kurt said with a soft sigh. "We went to the mall and did a little bit of shopping. Quinn and Tana disappeared and left me alone with Britt at the figurine store but it's cool. I got them back for it by telling Britt that the mall in Cleveland have these cool miniature unicorns that our mall doesn't have, so they were forced to drive Britt out there while I got to come home. I'm sure Sam is going to be so thrilled by the amount of unicorns Britt probably bought," he laughed. "It's nice to have my Unholy Trinity back though." Blaine smirked with amusement. "How was Dalton?"

"Dalton was amazing," Blaine said with a grin. "It was so cool being back there. We haven't visited since we graduated. The place looks exactly the same."

"What did you guys do? Just visit with your old teachers?"

"We saw the ones that were there," Blaine answered. "Most of them were gone for vacation. Only a few stay behind to help with the boys that stayed." Kurt nodded. "We did get to see Dean Winchester though. That was really cool."

Kurt turned to look at him. "Dean Winchester? As in, Supernatural?"

Blaine laughed and shook his head. "The Dean's last name is Winchester. His family made the Winchester guns back in the 1800s. But we've always teased him about it. We were 15 I think, when Supernatural first aired, and he actually banned the show from school grounds."

"Why? What did you guys do?"

"Not me," Blaine clarified. "I had nothing to do with the madness. Jeff and David however, alongside several other boys, were convinced that the Dean was a hunter and that the school was merely a hideout for monsters and demons. He would've banned salt if the kitchen staff didn't need it. It was quite humorous that year."

"Wow," Kurt chuckled in disbelief. "I can't even imagine what teenage David and Jeff were like."

"Not much different than what they are now to be honest," Blaine laughed. "We had a good time though."

"Did you see anybody else?" Kurt asked with nonchalance but Blaine knew exactly who he meant.

"You mean, did I see Hunter?" Kurt turned his body to face Blaine completely and nodded. Blaine sighed. "Yes, I saw him too."

"And? Did you talk to him? Did he say anything about talking to me at Regionals?" Kurt questioned.

Blaine paused for a moment. He'd been dreading telling Kurt this but he knew he really had no choice. Both Hunter and Sebastian gave him permission to tell him so he could no longer use that as an excuse. He worried about how Kurt would react though.

"Briefly, but you weren't the main topic of conversation," Blaine said. The look on his face made Kurt scrunch his face questioningly. "You know that long, complicated story I said wasn't mine to tell?" Kurt nodded slowly. "I think it's time I tell you."

"Ok, but if it isn't yours to tell, then why are you telling me now?" Kurt asked.

"Because you need to know my part in it," Blaine said with a small sigh.

Kurt sat straighter. "This sounds serious."

"It is," Blaine breathed out. "I don't even know where to start," he said with a nervous chuckle. "I guess first I should tell you everyone that's involved."

"Ok," Kurt said with a nod and raised brow.

"It's about Hunter, and his soulmate, and me," Blaine said hesitantly. "It's about Hunter and Sebastian."

"Smythe?" Kurt asked with wide eyes. Blaine nodded but said nothing. "Hunter's soulmate is Sebastian Smythe?" he asked slowly as if trying to piece things together. "Your best friend and your ex-boyfriend, Sebastian Smythe?"

"Yes," Blaine answered.

Kurt was suddenly out of Blaine's arms and sitting on the end of the bed. "You were Hunter's roommate at Dalton and now you're telling me that his soulmate is Sebastian, the same Sebastian that you dated? Are you serious?"

Blaine sat up and sighed. "Yes."

"Blaine, how could you do that?" Kurt all but yelled. "How could you date Sebastian when he's your friend's soulmate?!"

"I will tell you if you come back over here," Blaine said sterner than he meant to. "I told you already, it's a long complicated story."

Kurt stared at him for a moment before grabbing the remote and shutting the TV off. He moved up the bed and sat right in front of Blaine with his legs and arms crossed. "I'm listening."

Blaine ran his fingers through his hair. He hated the look on Kurt's face. It meant that he could snap at any given moment and Blaine knew that if he didn't word things right, Kurt would get angry with him. "Alright, I guess I should start by explaining my friendship with Seb," he said and Kurt nodded for him to continue. "Seb and I have always had a veryâsexual friendship," Kurt made an unimpressed face and Blaine backtracked. "Not like that. I just mean that sexuality was never an issue with us. Seb has always been very outspoken about sex and when you room with someone for three years, it rubs off."

"Ok," Kurt said, not completely understanding what Blaine meant.

"Ok, Seb is a year older than me, so when I was a freshman, he was a sophomore. Right off the bat, he was crude and perverted and sometimes, really obnoxious. But that's just who Seb is. It took me a while to realize that he wasn't being an asshole, he just has a different sense of humor. With the other guys, if they talked about sex or anything related to it, I was very quiet and very bashful about it. But in our dorm room, when it was just us, we'd talk about it and make dirty jokes like it was nothing. It's how we started our friendship. Now if you ask anybody at Dalton, they'd tell you that Seb was in love with me, but really he wasn't. I was just the only person he ever really talked to. No one ever gave him a real chance. No one ever expected him to be more than that guy who loved to screw around with anyone who showed interest. I got past the snark and sexual innuendoes though and I learned that deep down, Seb is this surprisingly sweet man."

Kurt ignored the bubble of jealousy he felt and waited for Blaine to continue. "So for three years, we were pretty much inseparable. After he graduated, he went off to London for a year. That's when he filmed that Lifetime movie. When senior year started, Hunter had transferred to Dalton. I was the first person he met and that was the weekend right before school started. That weekend was also his birthday. He was the first in our class to turn of age. So not only was he the new kid, he was the oldest, and he was the only one who didn't know Sebastian. Imagine your first week at a new school and all you hear about is how much of a manwhore your soulmate was and how 'in love' he was with your new roommate."

"Is that where it all started?" Kurt questioned. "The complications between you and Hunter?"

Blaine pressed his lips and nodded. "Yeah. I was the only one who knew that Hunter was Seb's soulmate because Seb had told me. My first few weeks rooming with Hunter were really awkward because of it. I hadn't said anything to him about it and he didn't ask. One night when we were studying Hunter asked me about him. He wanted to know what kind of person Seb was and since everyone said I was Seb's best friend and secret lover, I must be an expert on him," Blaine shook his head at the memory. "I remember being so scared that I would say something that would completely ruin our chance at any sort of friendship. But I told him everything that I could that would contradict what he had heard already. By the end of the conversation, he had shown me Seb's name, and I had promised him that Seb wasn't nearly as bad as everyone made him out to be."

"The problem however, was that the stories about Seb portrayed him as this cruel, heartless guy. It was easier for me to ignore the crap people said, but it was harder for Hunter. They hadn't even met and he was already dreading the heartbreak. It didn't help that everything seemed to lead back to me," Blaine told him. "I was the most popular guy at Dalton. I was the one everyone loved. I was the one that didn't have to work hard at anything because everything came so easy to me. I was the one that was perfect without even trying," he said with a bitter tone. "It was never true. I worked my ass off at making my life seem so effortless when really I was kind of a mess. My life at home sucked, but my life at Dalton was simple. Hunter was, and probably still is, a perfectionist. So between everything he'd heard about Seb and our friendship, and competing with me in a competition I wanted no part of, it gave him a bit of a complex. We got along well, he was always kind to me, but our friendship has always been a bit strained."

"So it was like everything was doomed from the start?" Kurt asked. "Like, no matter what you did or what you said, he still had this thing with you where he needed to be better?"

"Exactly," Blaine nodded. "It was tough at times but by graduation, we were pretty decent friends. When I turned of age, he was the first person I told your name to. I think he was scared that Seb's name would appear on my wrist. I remember the look of relief on his face and thinking, 'Finally, he can't hate me anymore.' And he tried so hard to hate me, I know he did. But in the end, I hadn't done anything wrong so he couldn't."

"Not yet anyway," Kurt said flatly.

"No, not yet," Blaine agreed, looking down. "But even then, I didn't do anything wrong, not really. But we'll get there," Kurt nodded and finally uncrossed his arms. Blaine smiled a little and reached for his hand. "A few months after we graduated, when I was already in LA, Hunter and Seb finally met. Hunter was a student at OSU and Seb was in Westerville visiting his dad. They met at Dalton and let me tell you, Seb was freaking out."

"You gotta help me out here, B," Sebastian said with desperation. "I don't do this! You know I don't! I don't even know where to start trying to talk to him!"

"Seb, calm down," Blaine spoke softly. "Have a little bit of faith in yourself. And don't be an arrogant asshole. I know it's hard for you but try some humility." Sebastian closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "I'm really happy you found him, Seb, but please remember that he's heard a lot of negative things about you. He's going to be cautious with you, scared even. If you want this to work, be careful not to overwhelm him."

"I'm going to screw this up," Sebastian replied with a pained laugh. "I'm no good at this. He's going to hate me, B. He's going to spend five minutes with me and realize that I'm not worth the effort. I can't do this. I can't."

"It's hard to imagine Sebastian being that insecure," Kurt said truthfully.

"You'd be surprised how insecure Seb truly is," Blaine said with a sad smile. "So yeah, they finally met but they didn't exactly do things right. Instead of getting to know each other, really know each other, they let their desires take over. And then when Sebastian inevitably left for LA a week later, it caused a rift between them. Hunter felt abandoned and Sebastian felt betrayed."

"So wait, did they bond?"

"No, they didn't bond, but they didn't create a strong foundation either. They created a false bond between them and when Sebastian was forced to leave, it tore them apart," Blaine said sadly.

"But why?" Kurt asked confused. "I mean, it had to have sucked I'm sure, but why didn't they just try to work it out?"

"The biggest similarity between Hunter and Sebastian is their hotheadedness. Hunter's biggest fear when it comes to Sebastian is that he'll never be good enough, that Sebastian will use him like a plaything and then move on," Blaine said with a shake of his head. "And Sebastian has abandonment issues. I mean, they both kinda do, but more so Seb. His mother left when he was young and his father was there physically, but he became an alcoholic and fell into a pit of despair. In Sebastian's eyes, Hunter gave up on him without even trying, which is kinda true. In Hunter's eyes, Sebastian merely used him. Both said things that they didn't mean and they crumbled very quickly."

Kurt breathed out, his shoulders slumping. "Jeez, Blaine. This is all just so much. I don't even know if I want to hear the rest of this," he said with an almost pained chuckle. He was realizing that he had no idea who Sebastian really was and it made his heart ache.

Blaine forced a smile. "We haven't even gotten to the good part," he said and by the tone in his voice, Kurt knew that the good part was actually really bad. "Once he was in LA, Seb partied a lot. He was always going out and drinking and just, becoming this person that he wasn't. I tried talking to him, I tried meeting up with him but he avoided me completely. One of the reasons our friendship always worked was because I never gave up on him, so no matter how hard he pushed me away, I pushed right back. It was like that for about a year, me trying to talk to him and him pushing me away. The few times that I did see him though, always ended in a fight. I tried so hard to get him to open up to me, to get him to tell me what happened with Hunter, and when he finally did, my heart shattered for him. I was angry with Hunter for giving up so quickly, but then at the same time I understood that Hunter was afraid. I even talked to Wes about it and we figured that between the two of us, we could somehow fix things. That wasn't the case though. Hunter refused to budge and Sebastian was furious with me. I think for a little while he downright hated me. I can't tell you how many fights we got into because I kept bringing Hunter up."

"Seriously B, you need to back off."

"I'm not going to back off, Sebastian," Blaine said firmly. "I'm the only one who ever tells you how it is and I'm telling you right now that this is a mistake. You need to pull your head out of your ass and go talk to him! Things aren't going to get better if you don't man up."

Sebastian turned a cold glare on Blaine. "The only mistake I ever made was trusting you."

Blaine staggered back as if he'd been punched. "You don't mean that."

"I do," Sebastian said, taking a step closer and towering over Blaine. "You're pathetic if you think that you know anything about how this feels. I told you that in confidence and you went and ran your mouth like a little bitch. You can't fix this, Blaine. It's done. We're done."

"He said that to you?" Kurt asked shocked and a little bit angry at Sebastian.

Blaine sniffled at the memory that still hurt. "Yeah. I was devastated. I remember thinking that I finally pushed too far and that I'd lost my best friend. I was so heartbroken that he would just throw away our friendship like that, but I didn't really understand what he was going through. I didn't understand the emptiness he felt," he said with regret. "We didn't talk for about a month after that and I couldn't do it. I kept seeing all these headlines about him and I couldn't sit back and do nothing. So I started calling him again, and I must've called over a hundred times in one day, but he never answered. That's when I decided to play hardball. I started going out to these gay bars, knowing that the headlines of The Warblers front man being seen partying would get his attention. Then I went to the one club he always went to and made it so he had no choice but to see me."

"What the hell are you doing here, Anderson?" Sebastian asked almost angrily. He was sure Blaine was more intoxicated than he realized and with a quick look around, he saw several men looking at him like a high quality piece of steak.

"You wouldn't come see me," Blaine slurred, his body weight resting on Sebastian. "I had to find you."

Sebastian shook his head. Blaine had always been a lightweight. "Well you found me, Killer. I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't hate me," Blaine mumbled pitifully. "Please don't hate me. I miss you, bro."

Sebastian shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "I could never hate you, B," he said softly. "Let's get you some water."

"That broke the ice between us but things were different," Blaine said with reluctance. This was the part that he didn't want to tell Kurt. This was where he knew the disappointment would come in.

Kurt frowned at Blaine's tone. "Different how?"

Blaine took a deep breath. "That world, the partying and drinking, the hooking up with random strangers, it's addicting. When we were at Dalton, I had a few flings and Seb had his, but we were still kids. It didn't affect us quite that bad. But once you turn of age, everything changes. You feel so much more than you could possibly imagine," Kurt shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like the sound of this at all. "Take what you and I feel for each other when we're being intimate, multiply it by a hundred, and that's what it feels like to be with someone who isn't your soulmate. It's a rush, a sudden high that's intoxicating. But then when it's all said and done, all that's left is this overwhelming sadness and emptiness. For me, it sucked but I was able to ignore the pain and keep going because I didn't know you yet. For Sebastian, because of what happened with Hunter, it was worse. He couldn't differentiate between the fake emotions and the real ones. I could've stopped going out at any moment and been fine, but with Seb, he was losing himself in that world."

Kurt looked deep into Blaine's eyes and hated the guilt he saw. "Why do I feel like I'm not going to like what you're about to tell me?" he asked, his voice wavering.

Tears pooled in Blaine's eyes. "Because you're not," he said honestly. "I couldn'tâI couldn't let Seb continue this life without me there. I couldn't pull him back, but I couldn't leave him there either. So I kept partying with him and I started drinking more than I normally would. It was the only way I could ignore the voice in my head that was telling me to stop. One night, I drank so much that I muted that voice completely, and Iâ"

"You what, Blaine?" Kurt asked a bit harshly. "Tell me."

Blaine looked down ashamed. "I almost went home with somebody," he whispered and Kurt's heart dropped. "Blowjobs in the bathroom was one thing, but going home with someone I didn't know was something entirely different."

Kurt stayed quiet for several moments, his eyes locked on their intertwined hands. He tried not to be upset but it felt like a betrayal. "What happened?" he asked, his voice small.

"Seb stopped me," Blaine said with a breath. "He saw me getting ready to leave and practically dragged me out of the club by my hair. I was so mad at him at first, but by the time our cab pulled up to his place, I had never been more grateful. The next morning is when we stopped going out, and when we started dating."

"That's an interesting way to start dating someone who you aren't supposed to date in the first place," Kurt snapped angrily.

"I need you to understand that it was the only way I knew how to save him," Blaine begged softly. "It was the only way I knew how to save myself."

"We need to talk about last night," Sebastian said as he sat down on his couch. Blaine took a sip of his coffee and looked at him with sad eyes. "If you can't handle yourself then we can't be going out. I'm not your babysitter, Blaine."

Blaine was quiet for a moment and when he spoke, his voice was nothing but a whisper. "We can't keep doing this, Sebastian."

"You mean you can't keep doing this," Sebastian said defensively. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Blaine said with a slight shake of his head. He set his coffee down and reached for Sebastian's hands. "Seb, I was so close to going home with that guy last night and I cannot thank you enough for stopping me. But even though I feel remorse, there's this part of me that says, 'hey, it's ok now. You'll be smarter next time', and I don't want there to be a next time. I know you feel it, the emptiness. I know that drinking and hooking up with whomever is momentarily satisfying but the end result is not worth it. We are losing ourselves, Sebastian. I feel it, and I know you do too. I thought the guys were just worrying for nothing but I'm scared for us, Seb. We can't keep doing this."

Sebastian looked away, unwilling to meet Blaine's gaze. "You don't get it, B," he said and he hated how vulnerable he sounded. "If I don't drink, if I don't let myself move onâ"

"But I do get it," Blaine assured him. "If you don't drink, then you think of him and that hurts you. But what you don't realize is that you aren't moving on, you'reâ.you're allowing the darkness to consume you. You're becoming your dad."

Sebastian's head shot up, tears glistening in his eyes. "I don't know how to do this, B. I don'tâI don't know how to handle this."

"We do it together."

"How?"

"We date. Be my boyfriend," Blaine suggested and Sebastian's eyes went wide. "I'm serious. We can keep each other out of trouble. We can watch out for one another."

"How exactly would that work, Blaine?" Sebastian asked seriously.

"Well, instead of going out, we have date nights at home. Instead of hooking up with random strangers, weâI don't know, do each other a favor," Sebastian shook his head, unconvinced by Blaine's plan. "This town is going to eat us alive, Seb. If we don't do something about it now we're going to lose ourselves. We deserve better than this. So do Kurt and Hunter."

"Hunter's going to hate you for this," Sebastian told him. "You know that right? You know as soon as this gets out, he's going to think you betrayed him."

"He'd hate me more if I sat back and let you screw every guy in Hollywood," Blaine retorted. "I'd only be betraying him if I allowed you to ruin your life, which is exactly what's going to happen if we continue to go out."

Sebastian didn't think it was a good idea, but he knew he couldn't keep going on like this. Blaine was right and if it hadn't been for Blaine's mishap the previous night, he would've invited the guy he was flirting with back home. He may still be angry at Hunter, but he swore that he would never sleep with another man again. He was getting closer and closer to not caring though. Even in that very moment, he was thinking about his next hookup. With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright, Killer. Let's do it."

"We only hooked up a few times right at the beginning of our relationship, but it wasn't anything major, just a few blowjobs," Blaine said softly. Kurt had yet to look up at him and it hurt him deeply. "We cuddled more than anything, needing that connection to someone, but that's really it. Our relationship was never real, it was a place holder."

"I'm sure that's not how Hunter saw it," Kurt said with bitterness.

"It wasn't," Blaine spoke somberly. "Neither did the guys. Wes was furious with me for a long time. It took him a while to really listen to what I had to say and to understand why." Blaine took a deep breath, his thumb caressing Kurt's hand. "It went well for a while. Seb stopped drinking, we talked a lot about everything, and I held him when he cried. It worked, us being together. Even if it wasn't a real relationship, we worked. He was doing ok, or so I thought. But when The Warblers went on our first tour and I was gone those few months, he picked up the bottle again."

Kurt finally looked up at Blaine with sorrowful eyes. "He wasn't doing ok, was he?"

"No," Blaine said with a sigh. "He was hiding from it when I was there, but when I was no longer around to occupy his mind, it all came crashing down. Do you remember reading about the emotional imbalance between soulmates with a strong connection?"

"Is that when one soulmate feels everything while the other feels nothing?" Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. I didn't know it at the time, but that's what was happening with them. While Sebastian was hurting, Hunter was just numb to it all. I came home to find him completely trashed. He kept going on and on about how he just wanted to get laid, Hunter be damned. So I did him a favor and got him off, then he threw up and broke down completely. I held him for hours as he cried."

"Why won't he love me?" Sebastian sobbed into Blaine's shoulder. Blaine held him tighter and swayed them. "I would be so good to him. I'd make him breakfast and I'd take care of him. Why? Why won't he love me?"

Blaine stroked Sebastian's hair. "It's going to be ok. We'll figure this out," he promised though he had no idea how to keep that promise.

"I just want him to love me," Sebastian muttered. "I just want the pain to stop."

"I know baby, I know."

Kurt's heart broke for Sebastian. "What did you guys do?" he asked quietly.

Blaine looked up at Kurt through his lashes, a sad yet proud smile on his lips. He would never forget that moment. "Seb decided to seek help at a private clinic."

"I can't do this anymore," Sebastian said calmly, his eyes on the floor. Blaine rubbed his back but said nothing. "I feel like my world is constantly caving in. I can't do this, B. I won't do this. I won't become my father."

"That was the hardest decision he ever made. It made him feel weak. But he knew it was the best thing for him," Blaine said softly. "I didn't see him or even talk to him the entire month he was there. I really wanted to call Hunter and tell him what was going on. I felt that as Seb's soulmate, Hunter should know. But I knew Seb would've been furious with me, and I knew that Hunter wouldn't be very receptive towards me. Not that I knew what to tell him in the first place. There was just so much going on with Seb at that time. I was torn between wanting to help and betraying Seb's trust. In the end I chose not to. This wasn't something that could come from me. This was something that Hunter needed to hear from Seb."

"Do you think Hunter would've cared at the time?" Kurt asked curiously. "Or come to LA to see Sebastian?"

Blaine shrugged. "I don't know. I want to say yes because how could he not? His soulmate was in trouble. Seb needed him. But then again, he was so angry with Seb. I can't honestly say that Hunter would've dropped everything to come see him. I really don't know."

Kurt nodded with understanding. "What was Sebastian like once he got out?"

"He was," Blaine paused, unsure of how to describe it. "Accepting? I don't want to say different but he wasn't the same either. He was calmer, matured. It was like he saw life differently. I was really worried that he wouldn't want to see me once he was out. We'd been through so much, I was afraid that he would associate me with the pain. I was genuinely shocked when he hugged me instead. The program he was in was amazing. It helped him understand his emotions and triggers better. He still hurt over Hunter, but he was working with a counselor and an AA sponsor as part of his after care. We stayed up late that night and just talked. There was no crying and he was accepting his fault in the fallout between Hunter and him. That's when he officially broke up with me. It was the best decision for both of us. We knew we couldn't keep acting like we wanted to be together romantically. It wasn't healthy for either of us."

"What happened with Hunter?" Kurt wondered. "When does he come back into this again?"

"Not until a few months later," Blaine told him. "One of our Dalton friends got married so we all went back to Westerville for the wedding. That's the last time Seb and Hunter saw each other."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Hollywood's hottest couple!"

Sebastian and Blaine turned to Hunter, Sebastian visibly paling. "Hunter," he whispered, reaching out to him. Hunter pulled away as if he'd been burned. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"So that makes it ok?" Hunter snapped. "Flaunting your pet around like it's no big deal," he directed towards Blaine.

"Hunter," Blaine said with astonishment. "It's not like that."

"Isn't it? I mean, you're Hollywood's 'It' couple after all," Hunter said bitterly. He turned to a stunned Sebastian. "You couldn't wait to get your hands on him could you? What did you do? Liquor him up then convince him to sleep with you?"

"It wasn't like that," Sebastian said quietly and Blaine wasn't sure if they were still talking about him.

"I'm sure," Hunter scoffed.

"Gentlemen," Wes' voice broke the tension. "Not here."

Hunter glanced between Sebastian and Blaine before angrily walking off.

"The entire wedding, he glared at me like I was the devil, and Seb didn't say a single word. He was completely lost in his thoughts," Blaine shook his head at the memory. "I had tried talking to Hunter later and it completely blew up in my face. A part of me was still mad at him for not giving Seb a real chance. Everything I said came out wrong and in my attempt to make things better, I made them so much worse."

"You should be thanking me!"

Hunter's jaw dropped. "Thanking you?"

"Yes!" Blaine said with exasperation. "We only dated so we could keep each other out of trouble and so he wouldn't go screw every guy in Hollywood!"

Hunter laughed bitterly. "Oh, Blaine, thank you so much for sleeping with my soulmate for me," he sneered. "It must've been so hard."

"We never slept together," Blaine tried to assure him but Hunter wouldn't listen. "You have to believe me. I only did what I thought was best."

"It was always you," Hunter spat out. "It was always about the great Blaine Anderson."

Blaine stepped closer to Hunter, his eyes pleading. "Hunter."

Hunter pulled his arm back and punched Blaine in the face. "Get the hell away from me. You've done enough."

"He punched you?!"Kurt gasped.

"Square in the jaw. He hit me so hard I thought he broke it," Blaine said sorrowfully, rubbing his face at the phantom pain where Hunter had punched him years ago. "I tried talking to him again a couple of days later, thinking that he'd calmed down but by then nothing I said was enough. He wouldn't listen to reason. He wouldn't hear me out. In his eyes, we betrayed him and that's all there was to it. After that, we went back to LA and didn't see him again. Sebastian kept trying to contact him but Hunter ignored him completely. Four years later and here we are."

"And where is here?" Kurt questioned with concern. "Are they still not talking? Does he still hate you?"

"No, I don't think he does," Blaine shook his head. "I was expecting a fight today but instead we actually talked. He even apologized for how he reacted years ago. He still doesn't know about Seb's struggle to get sober and stay that way. It's not my place to tell him. From what Wes has told me though, Hunter and Seb have spoken but it didn't exactly go well. I don't really know the details because Seb is avoiding my calls. But from what I've gathered, there was a transference of emotion between them, which means that Seb is in London feeling numb."

"And Hunter is here feeling all the pain," Kurt finished for him. "Oh my God, Blaine! That's years of built up hurt crashing down all at once! That poor man! No wonder his students were saying that he was losing it. That's awful."

The sincerity in Kurt's voice brought a tear to Blaine's eyes. "Yeah," he breathed deeply. "I keep calling Seb hoping he'll talk to me, but when Seb doesn't want to talk, he won't."

"Do you think he's drinking again?" Kurt asked worriedly.

"No, but only because of this movie deal. This means too much to him. If anything, he's completely engulfed in his character. He tends to substitute drinking for smoking though so there's a good chance he's doing that," Blaine said sadly.

Kurt let out a breath. "When you said this story was long and complicated, I didn't expect this."

"I'm sorry love," Blaine said, reaching for Kurt's face to caress. "It is something you needed to know about me though."

"I know, and I'm glad you told me. I justâ" Kurt trailed off, tears filling his eyes. "I don't even know who Sebastian is. I fooled myself into thinking that I was somehow his friend and I'm not. I'm just your soulmate."

"Don't think like that," Blaine spoke softly. "Just because you didn't know his past doesn't mean you aren't his friend. I mean yeah, the initial reason for you two talking was because of me, but I promise you that's not why he continued talking to you," Kurt scoffed disbelieving. "I'm serious, Kurt. He continued talking to you because you were funny and because you called him out on his bullshit. If anything, he's talked to you more in the past few months than he has with me. He genuinely likes you, Kurt. He does consider you a friend. Why else would he invite you to go on set with him during Spring break?"

"Pity," Kurt answered wiping the stray tear away.

"Seb doesn't pity anybody," Blaine said gently. "Except maybe himself."

"I just wish I had been nicer to him," Kurt muttered.

"You were plenty nice. I told you before, Seb doesn't like it when people are fake with him. When you talk to him, you can't treat him any differently. He's going to know that you're treating him with kid gloves and he hates that. Just be yourself with him and you'll be fine," Blaine assured him.

Kurt nodded and inhaled deeply. "I remember seeing you guys on the cover of the tabloids leaving some club and thinking that he was most vile person," he admitted guiltily. "I remember hating him so much for ruining you. And nowâthis changes everything."

Blaine offered him a small smile and pulled him into his arms. He kissed Kurt's forehead gently, leaning back so they were lying down. "I keep hoping that he'll call me," he said just above a whisper. "I keep praying that he'll let me in again, but he's so far away that it's easy for him to shut me out."

"Don't give up on him, Blaine. Never give up on him," Kurt said firmly. "He'll come talk to you when he's ready, right?"

Blaine closed his eyes and breathed in Kurt's scent. "Right."

A/N: In case you haven't read it, my Boys of Dalton fic has a oneshot about Hunter and Sebastian's first meeting if you're interested. The next chapter will be up hopefully within a week.

Christmas With The Hudmels

A/N: Hello my darlings. Not much to say other than thank you for sticking through this with me.

MuseInMe3, I'd be lost without you. BritBoJangles, you are the Kurt to my Tana.

FYI, I will no longer be writing media snippets nor soulmate blurbs unless they pertain directly to the chapter.

Be sure to read the note at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

Kurt and Santana were sitting in the living room watching a movie the next day. His parents were working, Finn was gone with Puck, and Blaine was at the Montgomery's house for their annual Christmas party, leaving them alone for the afternoon. Kurt was supposed to attend the party with Blaine, but Santana had called that morning and chewed him out for not spending enough time with her. Sure, she too had been busy with Quinn. But she needed her Kurt time, and though Kurt would never admit it to her, he needed his Santana time too.

They were watching Bring It On, the movie that started their obsession with cheerleading. Usually, they would cheer with the girls, they would quote the movie before the lines were even said, and they would argue over who the Queen B truly was. But this time around, Kurt was silent. Santana could tell the moment she walked into the house that something was off with Kurt, though she couldn't pinpoint what. She didn't call him out on it though. Instead she chose to watch him for a while and attempt to figure it out. When his favorite scene came on and Kurt sat quietly instead of quoting it though, Santana had enough.

"What the fuck's wrong with you?"

Kurt raised his brow in bemusement but kept his eyes on the movie. "What are you talking about?"

Santana gave him her, bitch please, look. "What do you think I'm talking about? You've been sitting there all quiet and shit this whole time. You didn't even make fun of Sparky's outfit like I know you love to do. Seriously, Kurt. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine," Kurt told her, though he knew that she would know he was clearly lying. He wasn't surprised when the movie stopped playing. With a sigh, he looked over at her. "What?"

"I don't know," Santana said with a shrug. "You tell me."

"It's nothing. I'm fine."

"Bullshit," Santana snapped and Kurt sighed in exasperation. "Seriously, what is wrong with you?"

Kurt picked at his cuticles for a moment before finally turning his full attention to Santana. "Ok, soâBlaine and I talked last night."

"Uh, huh," Santana nodded slowly. "And what? He doesn't like your wardrobe?"

Kurt scoffed. "Bitch, please. My wardrobe is fabulous," Santana rolled her eyes and waved at him to continue. "We talked about his past," Kurt paused and Santana raised a brow. "His past with Sebastian and other guys he'd been with before me."

"Ok. And?"

"Andâhe's been with other men," Kurt shrugged one shoulder. "Like, sexually. And last night he told me how far he'd actually gone."

"Ok. And?" Santana asked again, not exactly sure where he was going with this. "How far did he go? I thought you said he was an anal virgin."

Kurt rolled his eyes at her though he blushed at her words. "Yes, he is. He never went far, just a few blowjobs with some random hookups. And he and Sebastian only hooked up a few times too so it's nothing major."

"I'm sensing a, but, here," Santana said with narrowed eyes.

"But," Kurt said with a nod. "I'm not upset about it. Like at all. I mean, I was a little put off when we talked about it. But now? Nothing."

"Ok?"

"Shouldn't I be angry?" Kurt asked with exasperation. "Shouldn't I be pissed that he was with other men? Or jealous that some random guy had his mouth around his cock?" Santana pursed her lips to prevent herself from laughing. "Shouldn't I want to slap him or feel betrayed or want to find these guys, Sebastian included, and rip their damn hair out?"

Santana couldn't contain herself anymore. She threw her head back and laughed harder than she had in months. Kurt sent her an unamused glare. "Oh my god, I can't."

"This isn't funny, Tana," Kurt said flatly.

"Oh, this is fucking hysterical!" Santana continued to laugh. "Jesus, Hummel. I thought something was really wrong with you!"

Kurt grabbed a couch pillow and threw it at her. "Tana," he whined, though a smirk played at his lips. "I'm being serious! I feel like I should be at least a little upset but I'm not and that worries me! What if I don't love Blaine as much as I thought I did? Does this make me a bad soulmate?"

Santana waved her arms in front of her and shook her head. "Stop, stop. Hold on," she said as she tried to control her laughter. "So what you're telling me is that you're upset that you aren't upset? That doesn't even make any sense!" Kurt groaned and set his head back on the couch. "Kurt, are you being serious right now?" Kurt shrugged but said nothing. "Wow," she shook her head in astonishment. "Ok, first of all, nobody, and I mean nobody, loves Blaine more than you do. Second, this does not in any way, shape, or form make you a bad soulmate. If anything, this makes you an amazing soulmate because you aren't letting something that happened years ago get in the way of your life now. I can't believe that you were seriously upset at yourself for handling this so maturely. What were you even thinking? Really?"

"I don't know," Kurt said with a sigh. "I guess I kept thinking about what happened with you and Britt and Sam, and Q, and I thought that I should be angry and jealous too."

"That's completely different and you know it," Santana deadpanned. "What happened with us was messy and complicated and it happened to us now. This thing with Blaine happened when we were like, 12."

"So I'm not wrong for just accepting his past without question?" Kurt asked her.

"Do you feel like there's something you need to question? Honestly."

Kurt thought about it for a moment. He thought about the details behind Sebastian and Hunter's bad choices, because yes, they did choose wrong by sleeping together and not working it out, though it wasn't his place to judge. He thought about Blaine's involvement in it, his commitment to Sebastian and their friendship. He thought about how had it not been for Blaine's questionable choices, Sebastian would've been much worse off. He smiled softly to himself as he recalled how attentive Blaine had been last night and this morning, as if he was waiting for Kurt to go off on him. He remembered the look of worry on Blaine's face when he told Kurt the whole truth; the worry that he would somehow become a disappointment to Kurt because he wasn't as perfect as the world thought he was. But the truth is that it's all of Blaine's imperfections Kurt loved the most. It's the nerdy quirks and the insecurities that made Kurt swoon. Blaine was his soulmate, for better or worse, and he's certainly not going to get worked up over something that had nothing to do with him.

"You know, I don't," Kurt finally answered. "He's my soulmate, my one and only. How could I be upset with him for experimenting with other guys? It's not like we knew each other. And it's not like I hadn't planned on going out and doing my own experimenting before I knew Blaine was mine."

"Exactly," Santana grinned. "Why are you even trying to fret about this?"

Kurt shrugged and sighed. "I don't even know. I guess things have been going so well that I was looking for something to be wrong, ya know?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Santana nodded. "I think you need to get used to things going well for the rest of your life, Kurt. I mean, Blaine freaking Anderson is your soulmate! It doesn't get any better than that."

Kurt smiled brightly, a future with Blaine flashing before his eyes. "No, it really doesn't."

Later that night, once everyone was in bed and Kurt was wrapped up in Blaine's arms, Kurt finally decided to bring Blaine's past up for the last time.

"I'm not mad at you."

He spoke so quietly that Blaine wasn't sure if he'd heard him. "What?"

Kurt looked up at Blaine with a small smile. "I'm not mad at you," he repeated. "For dating Sebastian or for the random guys at the clubs; for any of it. I understand that things were complicated and I get that you were only trying to help your best friend. I just needed you to know that I'm not mad at you."

The relief on Blaine's face was as clear as day. "I was so sure that you would be," he admitted softly. "I kept waiting for you to flip out on me. Why do you think I was so willing to go to the Montgomery's by myself today? I was terrified you'd see Hunter and then talk to him and justâexplode."

Kurt chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. I'm sorry if I worried you, but I'm honestly ok. I can't be mad at you for something like this. You were young and naÃve and Hollywood is scary. If anything I'm grateful you had Sebastian around. He helped keep you in check just as much as you helped him."

Blaine raised his hand to Kurt's cheek and caressed it. "You're incredible, you know that? I've never met a more compassionate person in my life."

Kurt blushed at the compliment. "I get it from Dad, though he'll tell you I get it from my mom," he leaned forward and kissed Blaine sweetly. "Let's get some sleep," he said as he settled back down against Blaine's chest. "We have an early day tomorrow."

Christmas Eve morning was a rush of events. Burt and Carole woke the boys up before sunrise and sat them down in the living room. Blaine didn't mind too much. As long as he had his cup of coffee, which Carole supplied the moment they got downstairs, he was good to go. Kurt and Finn however grumbled and complained at the early wakeup call.

"Seriously Dad, you couldn't give us like, another hour?" Kurt mumbled into his cup of coffee. "It's not like we're doing anything today but putting up the tree."

"That is where you're wrong," Burt said with a point of his finger. "Eileen called, they're back early from the Bahamas and we're going over there for dinner. That means we need to get everything done before we leave."

"You mean before you guys leave," Kurt said pointedly. "Blaine and I are staying here."

"Now, Kurt," Carole started gently. "I know you and the girls don't exactly get along but-"

"But nothing," Kurt cut her off. "I am not spending my Christmas Eve with those devil spawn. Besides, they're huge Warbler fans. If Blaine shows up there with us, the whole world will know that we're soulmates before we even tell them to keep their mouths shut," Burt and Carole glanced at each other but said nothing. "You know I'm right. And I'm not about to leave Blaine here by himself. Just tell them I have the flu or something."

Burt sighed. "Alright fine. You two can stay here," Kurt grinned happily and bounced in his seat. An entire afternoon alone in the house with Blaine sounded much better than spending even a second with his cousins. "We still need to get things done early though so, Finn," Burt called out and Finn grunted in response. "You, Kurt, and I are going out to get the tree. Blaine and Carole will stay here and get the rest of the decorations in this box up by the time we get home. Let's try and be done by noon. It's a long drive to Eileen's. Ready, break!" Burt clapped.

Blaine stood up with a grin, eager to help Carole put up the rest of the decorations. Kurt gulped down his coffee and then smacked Finn on the head. "Let's go, Phineas."

"Don't call me that," Finn grumbled though he started to stand anyway.

"Then hurry up," Kurt retorted back as he made his way upstairs.

Finn begrudgingly followed him. "If I'm Phineas, you're Ferb right?"

"Yep," Kurt laughed. "Blaine could be Perry."

Blaine gasped dramatically. "The super-secret platypus spy?" Kurt looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Awesome!"

Burt chuckled and shook his head. His boys were too much sometimes. He turned to look at Blaine who was taking instructions from Carole and smiled. Blaine was one of his boys now and it warmed his heart. They were in for a good Christmas this year.

A few hours and a delicious pancake breakfast later, Blaine and the Hudmels were in the living room starting on the tree. Carole was sitting on the chair stringing popcorn, Kurt and Finn were sitting on the couch making paper chains, and Burt and Blaine were putting the lights on the tree. There was soft Christmas music playing in the background which they all hum along to and the snow was beginning to fall once more. Kurt's end of the paper chain took longer than usual because instead of paying attention to which color strip he picked up, his eyes were on Blaine and his father. He watched them interact with a loving a smile, his heart swelling with joy at the sight. He wondered though if he would ever have a relationship with Blaine's parents like Blaine had with his. He hoped that one day in the future both families could come together for the holidays.

"Dude, you just glued three greens in a row," Finn said with a hint of annoyance. Kurt turned his attention to his end of the paper chain and cursed under his breath. Finn smirked. "Maybe if you stop staring at Blaine's ass you wouldn't have messed up," he whispered.

"I was not staring at his ass," Kurt said with an eye roll as he tore off the green strips.

Finn scoffed. "Yeah, sure."

"I wasn't!" Kurt argued, balling up the construction paper and tossing it at Finn.

Blaine and Burt looked over their shoulders as Kurt and Finn playfully argued. Burt shook his head with a half smirk while Blaine chuckled. Blaine looked at Burt with a grateful smile. "Thank you for letting me be a part of this, Burt. It means a lot to me that you've been so welcoming."

"No need to thank me, son. You're a part of this family now. We're happy to have you," Burt said with soft smile.

Blaine looked down bashfully. "I know. I justâwe never did things like this in my house," he spoke quietly. "We didn't have traditions like this or have family nights," Blaine glanced back up with a sad smile. "This past week has been amazing. I'm so incredibly lucky to have been able to be a part of it."

Burt patted Blaine's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "If anyone is lucky, it's me," he said with a glance at Kurt. "His mom used to always buy the tree. I'd always tell her to wait until I got home from work but she never could," Burt looked at Blaine with sad eyes. "And then, the first Christmas after she died, I totally forgot about it. That is until I saw little Kurt hanging his own version of a Christmas ornament on his window shade Christmas Eve; her old perfume bottle. He always loved the way she smelled." Blaine looked over his shoulder at Kurt and smiled at the blush that spread across Kurt's cheek at getting caught staring.

"So I pull him out of bed, I throw a coat on him, and I drive through a snowstorm right down to the Christmas tree sale. It was the first time he smiled since his mom died. After that, his smile was far and few between. Until he met you at the park," Blaine looked back at Burt with soft eyes. "He talked about you for months and when he did, his whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. You and your music brought him back to me, Blaine. You may be fated to be together, but I'm the lucky one here. Not only did I get to witness years of you inadvertently teaching him to always be proud of who he is, but now I get to sit front row and center for your future together. I couldn't have asked for a better soulmate for my son than you."

Kurt looked up just as Blaine dropped the lights in his hand and threw his arms around his father who hugged him right back. He watched them with growing curiosity as they continued their hushed conversation. "Finn, what do you think they're talking about?" he whispered.

Finn glanced at Burt and Blaine. "Beats me," he shrugged. He looked at Kurt's end of the paper chain and groaned. "Dude, seriously?"

Kurt hummed with a raised brow though his eyes were still on Blaine and his dad. They had let go and it looked like Blaine had wiped a tear away. He heard Finn sigh in exasperation and turned back. He groaned when he saw that once again he messed up the color pattern. "Alright, I'm done getting distracted."

"Yeah, right," Finn muttered as Kurt once again glanced over at Blaine and Burt. They were never going to get this done.

Shortly after Burt, Carole, and Finn left for Carole's sister's house, Blaine and Kurt got into Kurt's navigator and drove to the cemetery. Kurt was wary about bringing Blaine with him, not wanting to risk anyone recognizing him. But Blaine had assured him they would be fine thanks to his winter gear.

"The best thing about the cold is that I can cover up my entire face and no one would be the wiser," Blaine had told him with a goofy grin. Kurt had simply shaken his head with a smirk.

Kurt pulled up to the cemetery and sighed with relief when he saw that they were the only ones there. He parked the car, turned it off, and unbuckled his seatbelt before turning to look at Blaine. He tried to hold back a laugh but couldn't stop the giggle that escaped. The only part of Blaine that was visible was his eyes and they were hidden behind thick framed black glasses. Kurt pulled out his phone and took a picture.

"You are seriously the biggest dork I've ever met," Kurt said with a fond smile.

Blaine pulled his scarf down and grinned happily. "But I'm your dork."

Kurt leaned over and kissed him chastely. "Yes, you are," he said as he reached into the back seat for the white roses. "Come on."

Blaine waited for Kurt by the passenger side door and took his hand when he came around the car. Kurt walked the familiar path to his mother's grave, the newly fallen snow covering the remaining tracks of any recent visitors. When they reached the headstone, Kurt knelt in the snow and placed the flowers down. Blaine knelt down next to him, glancing around quickly before bringing his scarf down. Kurt brushed the snow off her headstone and smiled when he saw her name.

"Hi, Mommy," Kurt spoke softly and Blaine couldn't help but look at him. There was a sudden innocence radiating off him and it somehow made him even more beautiful. "I know I just saw you last week and I usually come with Dad on Christmas Day, but I didn't want to wait until tomorrow," he glanced at Blaine and smiled. "I brought Blaine with me. He really wanted to meet you."

"Hi, Mrs. Hummel," Blaine said a bit bashfully. This was an entirely new experience for him, talking to someone's grave. He didn't want to mess it up. "It's lovely to meet you."

"You can call her Elizabeth," Kurt said with a smirk. "She says to stop being so nervous."

Blaine raised a brow. "Did she now?"

"Mhm," Kurt nodded matter of factly. "Trust me, I know these things." This was something Burt did with his son when he was a child. They would visit his late wife together and he'd speak for her as if she was there. As Kurt grew older and he started visiting her by himself, he answered his own questions and spoke to her, allowing all the good memories to fill his soul.

Blaine chuckled and looked at Elizabeth's headstone. "You'll have to excuse me, Elizabeth. I've never done this before. But Kurt's right, I really wanted to meet you. I'm honored that he shared this moment with me."

Kurt smiled. "She says it's lovely to meet you too and she's glad that I brought you," Blaine smiled lovingly at him. A sudden chill pierced through their heavy coats and Kurt sighed sadly. "Mommy, we can't stay. It's going to start snowing again and I don't want to get stuck on the road. I just wanted to come say hi and introduce you to Blaine. But we'll be back soon. Dad will be here tomorrow, weather permitting. I love you. Merry Christmas." Kurt blew her a kiss and started to stand up. He looked at Blaine with confusion when he didn't follow suit. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Blaine assured him with a gentle smile. "Why don't you turn the car on and I'll be right there? I want to talk to her for one more minute."

Kurt raised a suspicious brow. "Does this have anything to do with whatever you and Dad talked about this morning?"

Blaine hummed in contemplation. "Not exactly."

"Alright," Kurt said with an eye roll and a smirk. "Don't be long."

Blaine nodded with a small smile. He waited until he was certain that Kurt was out of earshot before turning his attention to the headstone. "Mrs. Hummel, Elizabeth, I need to thank you," he started just above a whisper. "You see, my life has been really crazy and when I needed hope the most, Kurt was there pulling me through. Kurt told me that you used to call him your good luck charm and I truly believe that he was, because you see, he's my good luck charm too. I'm so incredibly blessed to have him and I have you to thank for that. So, thank you, for sharing him with me. I promise to always take care of him and to always treat him with respect," Blaine looked towards the entry way and saw Kurt reaching his car. "I love him more than anything. Thank you for bringing him into my life," Blaine looked at the headstone with soft smile. "Merry Christmas, Elizabeth."

Blaine covered his face with his scarf and stood up to leave. Before he could a take step though, a gust of wind blew, and despite the cold, the breeze filled Blaine with warmth. He was probably imagining it, but he could've sworn he heard the words, thank you, whispered in his ear. As he walked back the car, the warmth in his heart grew. Any doubt he could've possibly had was suddenly gone. They were ready.

"KURT! BLAINE! WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Finn jumped up and down on Kurt's bed, a giddy grin on his face. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

Kurt groaned with frustration. "Get off my damn bed, you buffoon!" he snapped.

"GET UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Finn shouted before running out of the room.

Kurt rolled his eyes while Blaine merely chuckled. "Sorry about him."

"It's fine," Blaine assured him. He watched Kurt stretch and yawn before capturing his lips. Kurt gasped at the sudden ferocity. Blaine's kiss was gentle and sweet, but there was a passion behind it that left Kurt breathless. "Merry Christmas, my love," Blaine whispered as they parted. "It's our first in this lifetime."

Kurt smiled up at Blaine, his whole face flushed. "Merry Christmas," he breathed out.

Blaine grinned, pecked him on the nose and got up. "Come on. It's Christmas!" he said eagerly. "We can't spend it in bed!"

Kurt watched with amusement as Blaine hurried into the bathroom. As soon as Blaine shut the door, Kurt grabbed Blaine's pillow and inhaled deeply. The day hadn't even begun and it was already the best Christmas ever.

The Hudmels sat around the tree opening their gifts. While Carole and Kurt opened their gifts slowly and set the wrapping paper aside, Finn and Burt tore through theirs like children. Blaine simply watched them with amusement. His gift had been the music studio so there was nothing for him to unwrap. Except for Kurt's gift, but they were exchanging theirs later in Kurt's room. Or so Kurt thought. Blaine technically bought him two gifts; the cuffs were what he was giving Kurt in private.

"Where are the gifts from Blaine?" Finn asked eagerly, his unwrapped presents on the floor next to him.

"What makes you think he got you anything, Finn?" Kurt asked seriously, though he knew exactly what Blaine had bought for him. "Just because he's rich doesn't mean he spent money on you."

Finn shrunk back. "I didn't mean it like that," he muttered with embarrassment.

"Kurt," Blaine chided with a smirk. "Don't be mean to him."

Kurt grinned from ear to ear. "He just makes it so easy!"

Blaine shook his head and laughed. "Finn, Carole, Burt, I did buy you guys gifts, but before I give them to you, just know that nothing you say will make me take them back." Burt and Carole glanced at each other curiously and Finn's eyes widened with excitement. "You've all been so unbelievably welcoming. The least I can do is show my appreciation."

"Blaine," Carole started softly. "You didn't have to buy us anything. You're family-"

"Exactly!" Finn cut in. "He's family so he gets to buy us whatever he wants and we don't get to complain!"

"He has a point, Carole," Burt nodded. "Not that I'm exactly thrilled about you spending a lot of money on us, but I can't say I'm not intrigued either."

Blaine smiled excitedly and stood up. He walked to the book shelf and pulled out the four envelopes he had hidden the night before. He handed one to each family member, the last one going to Kurt.

Kurt looked at him in confusion. "I thought we were exchanging gifts later."

"We are," Blaine nodded as he sat down. "This is something else," he winked.

Kurt raised a brow but instead of opening it, he turned to his family to watch them open theirs. Carole's face lit up when she saw that her gift was a five year membership to one of the best spa resorts in Columbus. Burt's jaw dropped in shock, his eyes sparkling with excitement when he saw two tickets to attend the Frankfurt Motor Show, the largest car show in the world. Along with the motor show tickets were two plane tickets to Germany where the show was held, and the hotel stay information. Finn's reaction was Blaine's favorite. He didn't scream or freak out. He simply stared dumbfounded, unable to believe what he held in his hands.

"DudeâSuperbowl tickets?" Finn finally asked, looking up at Blaine with awe. "You got me Superbowl tickets?"

"Technically, I got you vouchers," Blaine corrected with a smile. "Since we still don't know who is playing. But, you and one more person will have box seats and your airfare and hotel stay will be paid for as well."

"Whoa," Finn breathed out. "Best bro-in-law ever."

Blaine looked over at Kurt who was still holding his envelope. "Are you gonna open that?"

Kurt hummed. "I don't know. I'm kinda scared," he teased lightly. Blaine shrugged nonchalantly but said nothing, a smirk on his lips. With a sigh Kurt opened his envelope. He gasped, his eyes wide. "Blaine! These are front row seats to Panic! At The Disco!"

"Not just front row seats," Blaine shook his head. "All day passes. I called in a favor and Brendon will be there to give you a tour. You and your girls. You'll get to hang out with him and the band all day."

"AAAAH!" Kurt threw his arms around Blaine and tackled to the floor. "Oh my God! This is so cool! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Blaine chuckled. "I'm glad you like it."

"I love it!" Kurt said with a groan as they parted. He quickly got on his feet and started to run upstairs. "I need to call Tana!"

Later in the afternoon, Blaine and Kurt sat crossed legged across from each other on Kurt's bed. Kurt held a big square box in his hands, a shy smile on his lips. Blaine held a much smaller box with a nervous smile. He hoped that Kurt was as ready as he thought they were. They exchanged gifts but as Kurt started to unwrap the bow, Blaine stopped him.

"Let me open yours first," Blaine said with a gentle smile. Kurt nodded and set his gift down. Blaine unwrapped his gift, a soft breath escaping his lips. "Kurt."

"It's my Blaine book," Kurt explained as Blaine opened the large scrap book. "I started it when I was little and just kept adding to it."

Blaine ran his fingers over the pages of different articles that spoke of him. He smiled at the decorations surrounding the photos and chuckled at the commentary that young Kurt had written underneath each one. Kurt bit his lip anxiously when Blaine turned to the page that he called the Hummel-Anderson Wedding Extraordinaire. Blaine bit back a laugh, not wanting Kurt to think he was laughing at him.

"I used to plan our wedding," Kurt said self-consciously. Blaine looked up at him, his eyes dancing with delight. "I even got a light haired Ken doll and a dark haired one and married them as if it was us. Now obviously, not everything in there is accurate. Like, Finn will be my best man, not Tana, and of course we won't be getting married at the Taj Mahal, but I liked to dream big."

"I can't believe you're giving me your Blaine book," Blaine laughed softly.

"I wanted to give you something personal," Kurt spoke quietly. "This book was my everything. It held all my hopes and dreams. I wanted to share that with you," Blaine looked up at Kurt lovingly. "I've added pages recently too, from after we met. I know it's not much, but I thought that maybe this could give you some insight on how much I've really appreciated you and your music."

Blaine closed the book and set it aside. He cupped Kurt's face and brought their lips together in a passionate kiss. Much like this morning, Kurt was left breathless. "I love it," Blaine whispered against his lips when they parted. "Thank you for trusting me with this. When we go back on tour, it'll be this book that I read every single night."

Kurt blushed and looked away. He gingerly picked up Blaine's gift and looked up at him through his lashes. "My turn?" Blaine took a deep breath and nodded. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for. He watched Kurt unwrap the bow, the soft cloth Blaine wrapped the box in slipping off. Kurt looked up at Blaine, his heart beating erratically. "Blaine?"

"Open it," Blaine said with a hopeful smile. With a shaky hand, Kurt lifted the lid, gasping quietly when he saw the black cuffs. "I know the plan was to wait until after you graduated to bond, but to be honest, I don't want to wait. When I present you to the world, I want to present you as my soulmate, wholly and truly. I want the world to see that you are mine and mine alone. I want them to know that no matter what anyone else says, you and I the real deal; that they can't break us or what we have."

Tears filled Kurt's eyes as he lifted one of the cuffs. He ran his fingers over the high quality leather, lifting the buckle. He'd always wanted his bonding cuff to have a buckle instead of the usual clip. He had always meant to tell Blaine that, assuming they would pick out their bonding cuffs together. The fact that Blaine had surprised him with them made his heart swell. He flipped it over and nearly broke down at the stitching on the bottom of the cuff. The initials B.D.A. were beautifully stitched in the same location as Blaine's name was etched on his skin. He picked up the other cuff and flipped it over to see his initials stitched on it as well.

"They're beautiful," Kurt said just above a whisper, a single tear streaming down his cheek. He looked up at Blaine and smiled. "Are you sure we're ready?"

"I am," Blaine said with a nod. He grabbed the cuffs from Kurt's hands and placed them back in the box. He then intertwined their fingers and looked deep into his eyes. "It'll be tough at times. Being away from you after we bond will be the hardest thing we've ever done. But nothing would bring me greater joy than to bond my soul to yours. Will you bond with me, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel? Will you become mine for all eternity?"

Kurt choked out a laugh and nodded. "Yes, I will. I'll bond with you."

Blaine leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss. Their heads were spinning, their hearts racing at the same beat. Their souls were desperate to become one and the overwhelming need made them cry. They finally parted, their foreheads resting on each other. They couldn't help but laugh jovially, hundreds of emotions coursing through them.

Kurt lifted his head and looked into Blaine's sparkling eyes. "When?"

Blaine's grin grew wider. "We leave first thing in the morning on a private getaway," he said, Kurt's eyebrows shooting straight up. "I'm taking you to the Rocky Mountains for two weeks."

"Seriously?" Kurt squeaked.

Blaine nodded. "Mhm. It's just you, me, and the mountains."

Kurt clapped excitedly. "Oh my God, Blaine!" Blaine laughed and Kurt's face suddenly went serious. "Oh my God! Blaine!" he shouted, quickly jumping off his bed. "I have to pack!"

"I guess it's a good thing I told you now instead of in the morning then?" Blaine questioned with a smirk.

Kurt sent him a glare though a smirk played at his lips. "You're lucky I love you so damn much," he said before disappearing into the closet.

"Love you too," Blaine called out happily. He fell back on the bed, grabbing the scrapbook Kurt gave him and holding it against his chest. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. They were in for the best vacation of their lives.

A/N: Alright my darlings, let's have a chat shall we? First of all, it may be a little while before the next update. I've been pressuring myself to get these chapters up within a week's time and the more pressure I put on my muse, the less I write. I would rather make you wait and deliver a great chapter then force out the words and give you something shitty.

Second, I have to be very honest here; the negativity I received in several reviews last week really affected how I felt about this story. It made me question my initial plans which led to lots of replanning which inevitably led to writing a chapter that wasn't by any means satisfactory. I wrote and rewrote this a crap ton of times and each time I rewrote it, I hated it more. I felt like I was losing my way with this story because I was trying to please the reviewers that had negative things to say instead of sticking with the story I wanted to create. My muse fought hard against me and I even had a moment where I actually thought that it would be better if I just took the entire story down.

Don't worry, I will not be abandoning this fic! But the fact that the thought even crossed my mind really sucks. It took some tough love from BritBoJangles and the always helpful MuseInMe3 for me to realize that I needed to let my muse guide me. I strayed from the path it chose for this story and that was a mistake I refuse to do again.

For those anon reviewers who felt the need to spread nothing but negativity, message me off anon and I will gladly have an open discussion with you. If something pissed you off or if there's something you just do not understand, then by all means, message me off anon. I will explain everything to the best of my ability.

To the anon who felt the need to point out that my smut isn't erotic enough, I'm not here to write erotic gay sex. That's what porn is for. I'm here to write a story about soulmates and their journey in life together.

Lastly and most importantly, to the reviewers and readers who have stuck by me no matter what, Thank You. There's a group of you that have been truly dedicated fans of my work, some even from the very beginning of my fanfiction writing days, and I cannot express how unbelievably grateful I am for you. Your support is what inspires me to keep going. Your constant admiration is what gives me the courage to put myself out there every single chapter. In many ways, I would be nothing without you. If I could, I would gather you all up in my arms and never let go. But since I can't, just know that I deeply love you.

We Are Eternal

A/N: I seriously have no words. The words of encouragement I received last chapter were so incredibly heartwarming. Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart for reminding me why I write in the first place. I love you guys. This chapter is for you.

Big thanks to MuseInMe3 for always knowing exactly what I need to hear.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

The bonding process between soulmates is more intimate than the act of sexual intercourse, for when soulmates bond, their souls connect on a different plane of existence. Once the bond begins, the souls travel to a place of purity, the Lands of Mira, and present themselves to each other in the most vulnerable of forms. The Lands of Mira has been said to be the most beautiful of worlds, its magic rippling through the wind as two souls become one. Depending on the souls entering its existence, the Mira will present itself, blessing the souls with a stronger, deeper bond. The Mira is neither a being nor an entity, but a source of energy. It only presents itself to those souls it deems worthy. Few and far between have been lucky enough to receive the Mira's blessing, but those who are, have a love for the ages. Those who receive the Mira's blessing are considered royalty. Their love is pure, intangible, and their bond is unbreakable.

After a long day of travel, Kurt and Blaine finally reached their destination. The private resort was surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, the layout giving off a mystical feel. There were six cabins in total on the secluded property. Five for guests and one for the employees that worked there. The cabins were far enough apart to give each guest complete privacy, but close enough to reach in case of an emergency. Other than the landline and the Wi-Fi provided by the company, they were completely cut off from the rest of the world.

Kurt had to admit, he wasn't expecting such a luxurious getaway. He knew that money was no object for Blaine and he expected to be blown away. He always was. But this? Their five bedroom cabin with its own Jacuzzi, steam room, fireplace, wrap around patio, modern dÃcor, and castle like exterior was unlike anything he ever imagined.

"A nice hotel would've sufficed, Blaine," Kurt said awestruck as Blaine gave him a tour. "You didn't have to go all out."

Blaine chuckled, his arms wrapping around Kurt's torso from behind. They were standing at the back of the cabin by the door that led to the patio and taking in the beautiful sight of the snowy mountains. "Of course I did, love," he replied with a kiss on Kurt's cheek. "This is more than us bonding. This is two weeks straight of no interruptions and no responsibility to anyone but ourselves. Two weeks of us just being together," Blaine turned Kurt around in his arms and smiled. "Besides, it would've been far too easy to be found in a hotel, no matter how high the security. We don't have to worry about being seen out here." Kurt looked down a bit shyly, a slight flush on his cheeks. There was something about the way Blaine looked at him that always made him blush. Kurt was certain that when they were 80 years old, Blaine would still be able to make him blush without effort. "Come on, I have something else to show you."

Blaine led Kurt to the main bedroom and Kurt raised a brow. "You already showed me this room, Blaine."

Blaine looked over his shoulder with a smirk. "I didn't show you the best part though," he said as he walked them over to what Kurt assumed was a window. Blaine pulled open the large curtains and Kurt gasped. There was a door that led to a small patio but the patio was closed in by tall glass windows. "The sun rises on this side and the room is heated. I know you're mostly inspired in the mornings so I thought that you could sketch in here whenever you wake up."

Kurt smiled from ear to ear, already envisioning his mornings. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"Anything for you," Blaine sighed happily, leaning forward to kiss Kurt's nose. "Now, are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something to eat or are you just tired?"

Kurt hummed, his arms wrapping around Blaine's neck. "Mostly tired but I could eat something light."

"Why don't you go take a shower, I'll make us something to eat, and then we can head to bed?" Blaine suggested. "It's still a bit early but it's been a long day."

"Sounds good to me," Kurt said through a small yawn. He gave Blaine a chaste kiss before letting go and walking to his luggage.

Blaine watched him grab a pair of boxers, the bag that held his night creams, and walk into the bathroom humming. He turned to look at the four post bed and ran his fingers over the comforter, a soft smile on his lips. In a matter of a few days, they would be making love on that bed. They would be bonding. The thought alone made his entire being thrum with an energy that made him shiver. They were in for an incredible two weeks.

Blaine woke up early the next morning to an empty bed. He glanced around the room and smiled when he saw Kurt sitting out on the patio. He closed his eyes and stretched before getting up. He silently watched Kurt from inside the room for a while, admiring the way the early morning sun seemed to make him glow. Blaine would never get over how stunning his soulmate truly was. Kurt was completely transfixed in his sketchbook, his head tilted slightly as his hand swiftly ran across the page. As he reached for a different colored pencil, Blaine quietly backed away and left the room.

Kurt was so involved in his sketch that he didn't hear the door open nor did he notice Blaine's presence. It wasn't until the smell of coffee reached his nose that he finally looked up. "Good morning," he greeted with a relaxed smile. He set his pencil down and grabbed the cup of coffee from Blaine. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Blaine replied, looking over Kurt's shoulder to look at his sketch. "Is that you and Tana?"

Kurt hummed as he took a sip from his coffee. "Yeah, I'm designing our prom outfits. We have to look nothing but fabulous when we win Prom King and Queen."

Blaine smirked, pulling out the seat next to Kurt and sitting down. "You're that confident that you're going to win?"

"Of course we are," Kurt scoffed and set his sketchbook down on the table. "The students at McKinley are notorious for their write-in votes, and at last year's junior prom, I won king and queen."

Blaine's face dropped. "Kurt."

Kurt shook his head quickly though, a smirk on his lips. "It wasn't like that. Or well, it was, but not in the way you think. You see, Finn had overheard Dave and this dumbass Azimio talking in the locker room about how much of a faggy queen I am, then I overheard Finn telling Puckerman that Dave and Azimio needed to get their asses beat because they were calling me a queen. So that gave me this brilliant idea to win both king and queen. The girls and I came up with the plan and by the time junior prom came around, the whole school thought they were being clever by writing my name in for queen. I had already been crowned king when the principal called my name for queen. I walked back to the microphone like I was in shock, devastated even, and the jocks are all snickering to themselves and the New Directions are like, ready for me to blow up. But then I looked over at the girls and I give them this look," Kurt showed him the devilish grin and Blaine's temperature suddenly rose, "before turning to the crowd and saying, 'You suckers are so predictable. Thank you for voting me as your King and Queen. Being a top has never felt so good. Oh, I'm sorry, I meant being on top. Though it's kinda the same thing isn't it? Either way, all blow Kurt Hummel.'"

Blaine threw his head back and laughed. "You did not say that!"

"I sure did," Kurt said with a proud nod.

"With your teachers and your principal all there?"

"Mhm. You should've seen the look on everyone's face when they realized I planned the whole thing. It was glorious. I even wore this amazing blazer and kilt combo so I was dressed for both parts," Kurt smiled and Blaine shook his head with amusement. "That was the moment Sue decided to make me Cheerios Captain."

"You know, you're kinda evil," Blaine smirked as he leaned closer to Kurt, his eyes blazing. "But I like it," he said lowly.

"Good," Kurt whispered back before their lips met in a heated kiss.

Blaine pulled away quickly though, with a satisfied grin playing at his lips as Kurt's eyes fluttered open. He looked up at Blaine with dark eyes and Blaine continued to smile. "I'm going to go make us breakfast," he said with a swift kiss to Kurt's forehead and walked back inside, leaving Kurt hard and breathless.

"Tease," Kurt muttered with a pout as he sat down at the kitchen table. Blaine winked over his shoulder and continued to hum as he cooked breakfast. Kurt watched him as he effortlessly flipped the omelet. He smiled to himself, unable to believe that this was really his life now. "So, is this what it'll be like when we live together?" he asked quietly. Blaine glanced at him with a questioning brow. "Me sketching in the early morning while you cook us breakfast? Or me cooking dinner and calling you down repeatedly because you're stuck on some new song lyric?" he smirked.

Blaine chuckled and nodded. "Yep." He placed the omelet on the second plate and turned off the stove. "Except that whoever is cooking has to be naked," he said with a cheeky grin. "House rule."

"Oh really?" Kurt questioned as Blaine set both plates on the table before turning to the refrigerator to get orange juice. "And how exactly is that rule going to work when we have kids?"

Blaine froze for a moment, warmth filling his heart. This was the first time Kurt had ever mentioned having children and the sudden emotion nearly brought a tear to his eye. He said nothing as he grabbed the carton of orange juice and turned back to Kurt. His face soft, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Well," Blaine started as he took a seat next to Kurt. "When we have kids, we'll obviously be unable to participate in that rule. But we still have some time before that happens."

"True," Kurt nodded as he poured himself some juice.

"Since we're on the topic, is that something you want?" Blaine asked him. "Kids I mean. You want us to be dads one day?"

Kurt looked at him with surprise. "Of course I want us to have kids. Why wouldn't I?"

Blaine half shrugged, his eyes downcast. "I don't know. We've never discussed it before."

Kurt watched him curiously for a moment. Their time together had been limited in the passing months and it wasn't until recently that he began noticing the more vulnerable side of Blaine. He was starting to realize that Blaine was more self-conscious than he led on. With a small sigh, he reached for Blaine's hand to hold. Blaine looked up through his lashes and he smiled softly. "I want us to have kids someday, Blaine," Kurt assured him. "I want kids and the white picket fence and the Dad wagon to drive them and their little friends all over town. I want all of it."

Blaine caressed Kurt's hand with his thumb, his lip caught in-between his teeth. "The Dad wagon too, huh? That sounds like a pretty boring life," he teased softly.

"As long as I'm with you, life will never be boring," Kurt smirked though he meant every word.

Blaine chuckled, leaning over for a kiss. "I love you," he whispered against Kurt's lips.

Kurt hummed in appreciation. "I love you too. So," he said slowly as he pulled his hand back, "since we're on the topic of kids and our future, I've been thinking about something and I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Shoot," Blaine replied as he poured himself a glass of juice.

"Well, I know I said I wanted to go to Parsons, but that was before I found you," Kurt said and Blaine stilled his movements. "I was thinking that maybe I could go to UCLA or Berkeley. They both have great design programs and that way you don't have to leave your life in California behind."

Blaine shook his head and sat back in his seat. "No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no," Blaine said with finality. "Kurt, I've lived my dream. I'm living it right now. I promised that I would do everything I could to make your dreams come true and Parsons is your dream. I'm not letting you give that up for me."

"But Blaine, your whole life is in LA," Kurt argued. "How could I ask you to uproot just so that I can go to Parsons? I can get just as good of an education at UCLA or Berkeley."

"You would get a mediocre education compared to Parsons," Blaine said as he crossed his arms. "They're great schools, but they can't give you what Parsons can. I can make music anywhere, but there's only one Parsons." Kurt huffed in disbelief. This wasn't at all how he expected the conversation to go. "And you're not asking me to uproot my whole life, Kurt. My life is wherever you are and if your dream is Parsons, which it is, then that's where you need to be. So we live in New York for a while. That's fine. As long as you're following your dreams, I'm happy."

"You're serious?" Kurt asked, not wanting to get his hopes up. He'd been thinking about the change for a while and although he did feel bad for making Blaine move to New York for him, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't been heartbroken when he decided not to go to Parsons.

"Absolutely," Blaine said with an encouraging smile. "Once this tour is over, the guys and I are taking an extended break. David and Katherine will have the baby, Wes and Vanessa are going to start their own family, and Jeff and Nick have been looking to expand their studio. The timing is perfect really. We'll go to the beach house this summer, you can even bring Tana and Quinn along if you like, and then we'll move to New York so that you can go to school. I'll work on my music at home while you start to take over the fashion world."

"Are you sure? Cause I really don't mind moving to LA," Kurt told him but his resolve was breaking and Blaine knew it.

Blaine sat forward and grabbed hold of his hands, bringing them to his lips to kiss. "I'm positive."

Kurt's face broke out into a huge grin. "Ok then. Parsons it is."

Once they finished breakfast, they migrated to the living room and cuddled together on the couch in front of the fireplace. They continued to discuss their future plans, their goals and their dreams. Blaine admitted that he was a bit nervous about venturing away from The Warblers to start his solo music career. It had been talked about amongst the guys recently and while his friends were completely supportive and they all knew from the beginning that there would be an end of the road for them, Blaine was still worried.

"It's easy with the guys," Blaine explained. "We're a unit. My failure means their failure, my success means their success and vice versa. We're good together. We know exactly what needs to be done to succeed. We've been singing together for ten years. There's no trying to figure things out, there's no trial and error with us. But by myself? I have to figure out who I am as an artist, how I want to approach my career. I have to figure out what kind of music I want to write and what message I want to send. It's like starting all over again. It's a bit daunting."

"Blaine, honey," Kurt said, fighting back a grin. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're kind of being ridiculous."

"I am not," Blaine replied defensively. "These are legitimate concerns, Kurt. How can you say that I'm being ridiculous?"

"Have you told the guys your worries?" Kurt asked instead of answering. Blaine shook his head. "Why not?"

Blaine breathed out and looked away. "Becauseâ"

"Because?"

"Because they would say I'm being ridiculous," Blaine snapped though a smirk played at his lips. "But I'm not, ok? What if I'm not what people want? What if I'm only famous because The Warblers as a whole is what made me appealing? Fame is very fickle, Kurt. What if I put myself out there and completely fail?"

Kurt pursed his lips and sighed. "Look, I get it. You're scared. But you're a performer, Blaine. You're meant to find the spotlight. You can't shy away from your greatness just because you're afraid that you aren't great enough. You have a gift and it wouldn't be right to let you hide that away."

"I know," Blaine said, looking down at their intertwined hands. "I justâI can't help but doubt myself. I have these moments where I think, 'Where would I be if the guys hadn't found me? How far would I have really gotten without them?' I know it sounds crazy but sometimes I really feel like I wouldn't be anything without the guys, like I was never good enough to be on my own so by the grace of God the guys came and saved me."

"Where's all this coming from?" Kurt asked gently. "I always thought that being a solo artist was your main goal, your biggest dream."

"It is," Blaine confirmed with a nod. "I don't know. I guess a part of me still hears my dad telling me how I'll never make it."

"Your dad? This has to do with your parents?"

Blaine was quiet for a moment, contemplative. Kurt watched him gather his thoughts, his thumb caressing Blaine's hand. Blaine finally nodded and looked up at Kurt with a sadness he'd never seen. "There's this part of me that really doesn't feel great enough. I feel like I'm in this constant state of fear that my career is going to suddenly crumble beneath me and on top of the rubble will be my father. I mean, why do you think I was so worried about telling you what happened with Sebastian? Or why I was so willing to go to the Montgomery's on my own?" Kurt shrugged and shook his head. "It's because I was terrified that you'd reject me; that it would change how you felt about me."

"Blaine," Kurt breathed out.

"Yeah, the guys and I have had a great career so far," Blaine continued. "But it's the guys and me, not just me. I put on this faÃ§ade of being confident and in a lot of ways, I am. But I also have this very real fear of rejection. I hate to blame my parents, but that's where it all stems from. Even from Cooper. We're close now, but I grew up in his shadow. I've overcome a lot in my life butâthis is something that I still struggle with."

Kurt's heart broke at Blaine's confession. How could someone as incredible as his Blaine have so much self-doubt? Even in that very moment, Kurt could see the vulnerability, the fear of rejection. He closed the space between them and kissed Blaine passionately. "I will never reject you, Blaine Devon Anderson. Not ever. I accept you for everything you are and for everything you're not. Always remember that." Blaine smiled at him, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "We're in this together. I can't stop you from failing, but I can promise to make it safe if you do."

Blaine rested his forehead on Kurt's and inhaled deeply, surrounding himself with Kurt's scent, his strength. "You're everything I could've ever asked for, everything I could ever need," he whispered.

"And I will be here," Kurt whispered back. "For always and forever."

Blaine woke up the next morning to an empty bed once again. He glanced outside, assuming Kurt was out there sketching, but the patio was empty. He listened for the sound of the shower but heard nothing. "Kurt?" he called as he sat up but received no response. "Baby?"

Blaine stretched and stood up, shivering at the coldness of the hardwood floor. He thought about slipping his shirt on but decided against it and went in search of his love in nothing but boxer briefs. It didn't take long for Blaine to find him and the sight before his eyes made him hungry for something other than the breakfast Kurt was cooking. Blaine slowly walked towards him, careful not to make any sounds. He wrapped his arms around Kurt's naked body and pressed himself against Kurt's ass. Kurt moaned out in surprise, arching his ass up to Blaine's cock. Blaine kissed a spot on the back of Kurt's neck, one hand traveling down tantalizing.

"Good morning," Blaine purred into Kurt's ear, his fingers wrapping around Kurt's long cock.

"Good morning," Kurt replied breathlessly, his head thrown back on Blaine's shoulder.

His eyes were closed, his breathing labored as Blaine slowly pumped. Kurt pressed his ass against Blaine's erection with a sudden need. They had stayed away from doing anything anal until they bonded, but that didn't stop Kurt from imagining what it would feel like to have Blaine deep inside him. The vibrator Santana gave him for his birthday had opened his mind to a new world. He would never tell her, but after the first few times he used it, he went online and bought a dildo that he felt best replicated Blaine's cock. He used it more often than he cared to admit and he was desperate for the real thing.

"Blaine," Kurt moaned, forcing himself to look back down at the stove. "You're going to make me burn breakfast."

"Wouldn't that be a shame?" Blaine replied with a chuckle. He pumped Kurt a few more times before releasing him and backing away. He smirked to himself at the whine that escaped Kurt's lips. "I see you've taken a liking to the, 'cooking in the nude' rule," he teased as he leaned on the counter.

Kurt cleared his throat. "Actually," he started, his voice an octave higher. He turned off the stove and moved the pan to another burner. He walked to Blaine with his eyes down. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist and Kurt looked up through his lashes, resting his hands on Blaine's chest. It was then that Blaine noticed Kurt wasn't wearing his cuff. "I was thinking today could just be naked day."

Blaine's eyes softened though there was a fire in them. "Naked day, huh?" He asked, his hand trailing down Kurt's ass. Kurt bit his lip and nodded. Blaine slipped a single finger in-between Kurt's ass cheeks, Kurt arching his back to the touch. "And what would naked day consist of exactly?"

Kurt smirked, his face flushed. "Everything," he said just above a whisper. "Anything," he brought his hand up to Blaine's curls and tugged on them hard. "Make me yours."

Blaine crashed their lips together and squeezed Kurt's ass. Kurt kissed him back hungrily, wanting more, needing more. He bit Blaine's lower lip and sucked it into his mouth, moaning unashamedly as Blaine kneaded his ass. When they parted, their pupils were blown, their breathing heavy. Kurt hooked his fingers into Blaine's boxer briefs and lowered them as he got on his knees. He looked up at Blaine as he licked the underside of Blaine's cock, their breakfast completely forgotten.

Their day went by agonizingly slow. They teased and licked and sucked and bit different parts of their bodies but not once did either of them orgasm. As soon as one got close to the edge, the other would pull away and they'd kiss until the need for release subsided. They didn't talk much throughout the day either. They were too focused on not ravishing each other just yet to actually talk. Kurt felt like he had a permanent flush on his body the entire day. Blaine followed him around, his eyes hungrily consuming every inch of Kurt's body. Kurt would look over his shoulder, their eyes would meet, and his body would feel like it was set on fire. Blaine would then walk away with a smirk. Once Kurt gained his composure, he would search for Blaine and then lean on the wall when he found him. He would wait there, his lissome body on display, until Blaine could no longer handle not touching him. When Blaine approached him, Kurt smirked and challenged him with his eyes, daring him to make a move. Throughout the day, Blaine would give in and be the first to touch, to taste. But once nightfall came, Blaine held back his desire.

They had just finished eating dinner when Kurt leaned against the kitchen table. Blaine put the dishes in the sink to wash later and slowly walked around the table. Kurt felt Blaine's presence behind him and he waited with anticipation, desperate for Blaine to touch him again. Blaine walked around Kurt, placing his hands on each side of him and leaned over as if to kiss him. The moment Kurt closed his eyes though, Blaine smirked and swiftly backed away. Kurt exhaled shakily and watched Blaine walk away in disbelief. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't keep holding back. It was time.

Blaine sat on the couch with his eyes closed, his head resting back and his legs wide open. Being naked all day had been freeing, but also frustrating. He wasn't sure when they decided to tease each other mercilessly all day but he didn't think he could take anymore. If he didn't release soon he was going to go crazy. He had to admit though, he did enjoy watching Kurt squirm underneath him and then whine when they stopped short of coming. He wondered if other couples had as much fun teasing each other as they did. Kurt and he already had an incredibly satisfying sex life and he couldn't wait to see what it would be like once they bonded.

"Blaine?"

Blaine opened his eyes and noticed that all the lights had been turned off. Kurt's voice was quiet, shy even, and it made Blaine's heart hammer in his chest. "Yes, love?"

Kurt took a step back, the tiniest of smiles playing at his lips. "Will you take a bath with me?"

Blaine smiled and nodded, exhaling slowly. "I'd love to."

Kurt held out his hand and waited for Blaine to take it before walking to the bathroom. The tub was already filled with warm water and there were lit candles on the sink. Blaine got in first, leaving his arms and legs open for Kurt to sit in-between. Kurt made himself comfortable, his back resting on Blaine's chest, and breathed deeply. Blaine lifted their left hands and intertwined their fingers.

"I love seeing my name on your wrist," Blaine spoke softly, leaving a gentle kiss on Kurt's cheek.

"No more sleeping with cuffs after tonight," Kurt replied as Blaine peppered kisses on his neck. "You'll be able to creepily stare at my wrist while I sleep all you want," he teased.

Blaine poked him in the ribs, a smirk on his lips. "I do not creepily stare at you while you sleep."

"Yes you do," Kurt said with a nod. "It's ok though. I like it."

"Uh huh," Blaine chuckled. "Don't act like you don't watch me sleep either."

Kurt shrugged a little. "Never said I didn't." Kurt closed his eyes as Blaine continued to leave sweet kisses on his skin. He could feel Blaine's hard cock pressing against his back and he could feel his own erection throbbing with want, but he was in no rush. Laying there in Blaine's arms was perfect. "How are we going to announce me?"

Blaine hummed in contemplation. "Twitter would have the most immediate result. We could tweet a picture of us if you like."

"New Year's night?" Kurt suggested. "Right after we hit midnight? We could take a picture of us in that moment and then have you tweet, 'Happy New Year's from us to you'."

Blaine nodded. "That would work. It'll give us a couple more days of normalcy."

Kurt took a deep breath. "Oh god," he groaned though there was a smile on his lips. "My life is never going to be the same again."

"Nope," Blaine shook his head. "We can wait if you really want to."

Kurt turned his head to look at him. "No. It's time the world knows who I am."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Blaine asked seriously.

"I'm positive," Kurt said with a kiss on Blaine's lips. He settled his head back and grabbed hold of Blaine's arms, wrapping them around his waist.

Blaine kissed down his neck, nuzzling his nose before softly singing.

Before you met me

I was alright but things

Were kinda heavy

You brought me to life

Now every February

You'll be my Valentine, Valentine

Kurt scoffed good-naturedly as Blaine sang into his ear. "You and your obsession with Katy Perry I swear." Blaine smirked and kept singing.

Let's go all the way tonight

No regrets, just love

We can dance, until we die

You and I, will be young forever

Blaine's voice was low and seductive, the melody of the song sensual. Blaine continued to sing directly into Kurt's ear, his hand traveling down until his fingers fully wrapped around Kurt's cock. Kurt began to writhe under Blaine's touch, his ass pressing back against Blaine. He was so close to the edge, an entire day of buildup making him hyper sensitive to the slightest touch. But he refused to cum. He refused to let go. He wanted to wait until they were bonded. He needed to wait until Blaine was deep inside him.

"Blaine," Kurt whispered and Blaine stopped pumping immediately.

"I think we're done with this bath," Blaine replied, his voice thick with arousal.

Kurt nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Definitely done." Kurt quickly got out of the tub and grabbed a towel to dry himself. "I'm going to get everything set up," he rattled as he exited the bathroom. Blaine watched him curiously before unplugging the bathtub.

Kurt set the bottle of lube on the bedside table and realized that nothing else needed to be set up. It would just be them, their promises, and their love. He shook his hair in the towel and walked over to the bay windows. He drew the curtains open, the full moon's light shining through. He glanced around the room, searching for something to do but found nothing. He took a shaky breath and looked outside. He wrung his hands and closed his eyes, taking deep slow breaths. Why was he suddenly so nervous? This was everything he wanted, everything he could ever dream of. Why was he so anxious? He felt Blaine's arms wrap around his waist and he instantly relaxed.

"You're shaking," Blaine whispered.

Kurt turned around in Blaine's embrace and tossed the towel aside. "Just nervous I guess."

Blaine raised his hand to Kurt's face and caressed his cheek. "Don't be. It's just you and me, love."

Kurt melted at the touch and nodded. Blaine grabbed hold of his hand and led them to the bed. They climbed on and knelt in the middle facing each other. They smiled at each other, allowing their souls to call out for the other. It was magnetic the way their left hands gravitated together. Their palms met in-between them and a single red string emerged from each of their middles fingers. A second string emerged, and then a third, and without conscious thought, they were sent to the Lands of Mira.

Blaine felt himself walking, but he didn't feel the ground beneath him. He felt himself moving towards something, but he couldn't feel his body. He looked around him and all he could see was brilliant luminance though he couldn't find its source.

"Blaine," Kurt's voice echoed through his entire being and Blaine turned to it, overjoyed to see his love walking his way.

Blaine reached out for him, though he couldn't feel his hand. "Kurt," he spoke, surprised by the strength in his voice when he meant it as a whisper. "You look so young."

"You too," Kurt smiled, entranced by how beautiful Blaine looked. "You look just like you did when we met in the park."

"I do?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. Even then you were the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen."

Blaine's smile widened. "I was so lost that day. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"It's a good thing you'll never have to find out," Kurt said.

They looked into each other's eyes, into each other's souls, and prepared to say their promises. But their souls were suddenly lifted higher and were engulfed in an overwhelming energy. "My children," The Mira spoke, its voice a mix of genders. "I welcome thee to my Lands, for you are the purest of souls to grace my presence in several lifetimes. You love truly and without question. You trust with your soul and allow your hearts to guide you. You accept what is and what is not. You, my children, are the reason I thrive, the reason I exist," The Mira moved to Kurt and spoke in his ear, its words reaching only Kurt's soul. "Never doubt him for he will never tell you lies. Believe in the love you have. Believe in the bond you've created. Remember that he is yours and yours alone," The Mira moved to Blaine. "Never underestimate how he feels. Never forget that he is more fragile than he knows. He needs you to be strong, to be brave. Remember that he needs your protection even when he doesn't," The Mira backed away and wrapped itself around them. "My children, I bestow my blessing upon thee. Go forth and become one."

Kurt and Blaine turned to each other, The Mira's energy thrumming through them.

"I, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, bond myself to thee, Blaine Devon Anderson, for all of eternity."

"I, Blaine Devon Anderson, bond myself to thee, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, for all of eternity."

Their souls collided and spun together, the world around them vanishing.

Kurt inhaled sharply, his eyes shifting to their hands. Millions of red strings wrapped their hands and wrists entirely, tying a bow on top before vanishing. He looked up and his eyes met Blaine's. There was a sparkle in them that Kurt had never seen, a new sort of passion and he knew that his own eyes had the same. They lowered their hands, their eyes locked.

"Hi," Kurt breathed, his heartbeat racing faster than he could ever remember.

"Hi," Blaine said back. He took both of Kurt's hands, brought them to his lips, and kissed them. "Our hands were meant to hold each other, fearlessly and forever. It's never really felt like I've been getting to know you. It's always felt like I was remembering you from something. As if in every lifetime that you and I have ever lived, we have chosen to come back and fall in love again over and over for all eternity. And I just feel so lucky that I found you so soon in this lifetime. Because all I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do, is spend my life loving you."

Kurt breathed out a laugh and looked away, shaking his head. "I'm never going to be able to top anything you say or do," he said and the smile on Blaine's face widened. "I mean, how do I respond to that, Blaine? How are you even real?"

Blaine cupped Kurt's face and kissed him lovingly. "I ask myself that same thing about you every day," he said breathlessly.

One simple kiss and Blaine felt like his every pore was erupting. He remembered this feeling; it was reminiscent of what he felt with his random hookups. It was an intoxicating sort of love and he truly understood now why he felt so empty after. Because now, the love was real, the bond was real, and the emotions surrounding them were unlike anything he could ever imagine. Kurt felt it too, the overwhelming drowning of emotions. He couldn't move. It was like he was paralyzed, unable to breathe, looking into Blaine's eyes as if they held the answer to the meaning of life. In many ways, they did. They held the answers to his life, their lives together, and nothing would ever compare.

Their lips crashed together with ferocity. All thoughts were gone. All they could do was feel. It was animalistic even, the way Blaine's teeth scraped Kurt's tongue, the way Kurt's fingers tugged on Blaine's curls, the way their bodies knew exactly what to do. Blaine pushed Kurt back on the bed and kissed down his neck, nipping and marking and sucking with unadulterated passion.

"Blaine," Kurt groaned. He needed so much more. His body was on fire, his being shivering from the inside out with such desire that it made Kurt's head spin. This wasn't the time for teasing. This wasn't the night for sweet, slow love making like they planned. They had an entire lifetime for that. This was the night for passion, for them to give into their desires completely, and Blaine was taking entirely too long to get there.

Blaine understood Kurt's need instantly. He had been trying to go slow, to savor the moment. But the desperation in his soul was driving him mad. The need in Kurt's voice was more than enough to let his desires take over. He reached for the lube and looked down at Kurt, his eyes dark, his breathing heavy. "How do you want this?" he asked, his voice rough.

"Like this," Kurt answered instantly. "I want to see you."

Blaine nodded and popped the top. He poured a generous amount of lube on his fingers, closed the lid, and set it aside for the time being. Kurt watched entranced as Blaine raised his leg and set it on top of Blaine's shoulder. Blaine kept his eyes locked with Kurt's as he inserted a single digit. Kurt hissed from the intrusion but then moaned with a growl. Blaine felt amazing inside him, so amazing in fact that he had to force himself not to cum yet. Kurt held unto the sheets and moved his hips with the rhythm of Blaine's finger. Blaine inserted a second, and then a third, and nearly salivated at the sight. Kurt was fucking himself on Blaine's fingers and Blaine was aching to be inside him. As if he read Blaine's mind, Kurt nodded frantically, throwing his head back with a moan.

Blaine grabbed the lube, poured some on his hand, and slathered it on his leaking cock. He lined himself with Kurt and inserted just the head, allowing both of them time to adjust to all the emotions coursing through them. Kurt howled in pleasure as Blaine's cock went deeper inside him. There weren't enough words in the human language to truly describe just how mind-blowing it felt. Once fully inside, Blaine dropped Kurt's leg and laid down on top of him. Kurt wrapped his legs around Blaine's waist and time suddenly stood still. The desperation, the need, the fire inside still thrived, but it was no longer wild. It was controlled, embracing them entirely.

"Blaine," Kurt whispered as Blaine slowly pulled out and pushed back in. "I love you, always and forever."

"I love you," Blaine replied, his voice awestruck. "Always and forever."

There was no sense of time as they made slow, passionate love. There were no words, no thoughts. Their eyes never strayed from each other, their mouths just barely touching. Blaine kissed Kurt lightly, their noses brushing. Nothing else in the world mattered, nothing else in the world would ever matter. They made love for hours, neither moving more than their hips or their lips. It was late into night when they came, their bodies connected so entirely that there was no beginning or end. Their souls were one, their bond unbreakable. They were complete.

A/N: I worked really hard on the chapter so I hope it was satisfactory. I'll see you again soon. I love you guys!

I'm losing to you, Baby I'm no match

A/N: Hello my wonderful, amazing, beautiful readers! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so incredible and for all the support! It seriously means the world to me!

The flashbacks in the chapter are in bold. The songs used are Nicotine by Panic! At The Disco, and Bad Blood by Bastille.

Thank you Meagan for inspiring bits of this chapter.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being such an awesome beta.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the imagination behind this plot.

"Hey, you've reached Blaine. I can't get to the phone right now because Kurt and I are on a magical getaway and I have no cell service. But leave me a message and I'll get back to you."

Sebastian shook his head, rolling his eyes as the message ended. "Of course you're on a magical getaway with Kurt when I finally call you back," he said good-naturedly. He stopped suddenly as realization hit him and he smiled, wide and true. "Blaine Anderson you dog! You and Kurt are bonding aren't you? Damn! I knew I should've picked up the phone when you last called. What did you do, B? Take him to the Swiss Alps or somewhere just as remote? You predictable, romantic sap. I can't believe you're bonding and I didn't know about it. Then again, if I hadn't avoided your calls, I would've, huh?" he chuckled, running his hands through his hair. "And yes, I was avoiding you. Don't act like you didn't know. Anyway, call me when you get the chance. Things are great over here but I miss you man. I hope you're having fun. Tell Kurt I said hey. Bye."

Sebastian ended the call and breathed out. He had called Blaine knowing that they would end up talking for hours and it was what he wanted. He needed the distraction. He could've called Megan, but he didn't need AA advice right now. He had no intention of drinking. He wasn't even smoking anymore. He just needed to talk with his best friend. Blaine had a way of getting him to open up like no one else could. He had a way of taking Sebastian's jumbled up thoughts and making sense out of them. In hindsight, Sebastian wondered if that was one of the problems Hunter had with Blaine.

The way Hunter saw it, Sebastian always went to Blaine first. But it wasn't that he preferred talking to Blaine over Hunter. It was just that Blaine actually listened to him while Hunter shut him out. Even now that the lines of communication had been opened, Sebastian was never sure if he could truly talk with Hunter. He wasn't sure if they could handle airing things out just yet. Because at the end of the day, whether Sebastian wanted to admit it or not, he was still scared. That was why he didn't talk to Hunter for very long. The shorter the conversation, the less likely it was that Hunter would end things once and for all.

Most of the time, Sebastian was relatively numb to the world around him. He felt waves of happiness or sadness here and there, usually right after he talked with Hunter. But his emotions were usually muted. All except anger and anxiety that is. He could feel the anger bubbling just underneath the surface but he never erupted with more than a snappy remark. His anxiety was through the roof however. He felt like he was in a constant state of jitteriness and he hated it. It didn't bother him as much when he was working. But on days like today, when he was off, he had nothing to displace his anxiety.

Right now, all he could do, no matter how hard he tried not to, was think about Hunter. He had called Hunter on Christmas day and they spoke for only a few minutes. But those few minutes were enough to consume his every thought. He had assumed that since he no longer felt the pain, he would no longer think of his soulmate. He was wrong. If anything, he thought about Hunter more because the pain was gone. He remembered more now that he was sober again. He was dissecting their relationship more now that it didn't hurt to think about Hunter. It was starting to drive him mad.

He stayed in his trailer all day and did what he could to ignore his thoughts. He worked out. He dribbled his basketball back and forth in the limited space he had. He read and reread his script. But nothing stopped his thoughts. Nothing he did was enough to counter the anxiety. The only answer he had was one he'd been avoiding but after hours of no release, he no longer could.

Sebastian opened his laptop and went into his music file. Music had always been therapeutic for him, but he avoided it as much as he could. He hadn't performed since his first fallout with Hunter, even when he was by himself. Sure he sang quietly every now and then, but it was usually when he wasn't paying attention and it was only ever a few lyrics. Performing brought out a different side of him, it brought out emotions he didn't even know he had, and that was why he avoided it. There was a part of him that wanted to feel again, but he was terrified of the pain so he cut music out entirely.

He chose the song he wanted and walked over to his bed, sitting on the edge and laying back with his eyes closed. Even though he hadn't talked to Kurt in quite some time, Kurt text him and emailed him constantly. Usually it was to ask about the film, but several of the messages had to do with Panic! At The Disco's new album. Sebastian was never a huge fan of the band, but there was one song that stuck out, one song that grabbed at his soul and wouldn't let go.

Sebastian started to drum along to the beat, momentarily missing his drum set back in LA. Not that he'd played the drums in ages.

Cross my heart and hope to die

Burn my lungs and curse my eyes

Sebastian sang out, his emotions struggling to be freed.

I've lost control and I don't want it back

I'm going numb, I've been hijacked

It's a fucking drag

He sat up with his eyes firmly shut as memories flooded his mind.

Sebastian stood outside Hunter's class, making faces at him through the door. Hunter sent him a glare though a smirk played at his lips. Sebastian grinned. Getting Hunter to smile was his new favorite hobby. Hunter looked away, willing his heart to slow down.

I taste you on my lips and I can't get rid of you

So I say damn your kiss and the awful things you do

You're worse than nicotine, nicotine

Yeah you're worse than nicotine, nicotine

"I'm going to get in trouble and it's going to be entirely your fault!" Hunter scolded the moment he got out of class.

Sebastian smirked. "I told you to stay home today," he sang. He leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "I could be fucking you into the headboard right now."

Hunter blushed brightly. "I already skipped two days, Bas," he whispered back harshly, though Sebastian knew he was all bark and no bite. No one ever called him Bas, but Hunter had let the nickname slip during sex the previous night and Sebastian adored it. No one would ever be allowed to call him Bas but Hunter. "I couldn't miss anymore just because you're in town and we'reâconnecting."

Sebastian threw his arm over Hunter's shoulder and smiled sweetly. "Then let's get you to your next class so that I can take you home." Hunter rolled his eyes at his soulmate, but in his heart he was jumping for joy hearing Sebastian say he wanted to take him home as if it was their home.

Sebastian stood up and danced around his trailer, completely unaware that his cast mate Stephen was in his doorway watching him perform.

It's better to burn than to fade away

It's better to leave than to be replaced

I'm losing to you, baby, I'm no match

I'm going numb, I've been hijacked

It's a fucking drag

Sebastian clapped with the beat, joy and sadness seeping through the wall his soul built.

"College is important to some of us, ya know?" Hunter breathed out. He'd had one more class to go but due to Sebastian's insistence, he was now pinned up against the wall of his hallway as he tried to unlock his apartment door.

Sebastian pressed himself against Hunter harder, Hunter inhaling sharply. "The only thing I want to study is you," he smirked. Hunter groaned and bit his lip, finally unlocking his door and slamming it behind them. Screw going to his last class.

Sebastian leaned his head on the wall as the song slowed down, tears trickling down his cheeks as an overwhelming wave of longing hit him. He didn't pull the emotions back. He let them take over completely. He needed to feel the pain and the loss, if only for a moment.

Just one more hit and then we're through

'Cause you could never love me back

Cut every tie I have to you

'Cause your love's a fucking drag

But I need it so bad

As the song came to an end, the emotions that seeped through began to fade away. He tried desperately to hold on to them but just as quickly as they came they were gone. He felt so empty, so alone. It wasn't until that moment that he realized how much he truly missed Hunter, how much he truly needed him.

A clapping by the door caught his attention and he whipped his head around to see Stephen watching him. "Not bad, kid," Stephen said casually. "You've got some pipes on you. Not that I'm surprised. You were a Warbler after all."

Sebastian stood straighter, quickly wiping away any stray tears. "Did you need something?" he asked with a bite.

Stephen pursed his lips to prevent from smirking. They were all used to Sebastian's snarky attitude by now. "We're all going out to eat and then maybe hit a club. Come join us. We could use your moves on the dance floor."

"No thanks," Sebastian answered instantly. A club was the last place he wanted to be.

"Come on, Smythe. You've been holed up in this trailer all day," Stephen tried to reason.

"I said no," Sebastian replied firmly.

"And why not?"

"Because."

"Because?"

Sebastian hesitated for a moment before shouting, "Because I'm an alcoholic! The last place I want to go to is a fucking club!"

Stephen slipped his hands in his pocket and nodded thoughtfully. Sebastian's confession didn't surprise him. He could spot an addict a mile away. "I know the feeling. I've been clean for ten years," he shared with a soft smile. "You should still join us though, Sebastian. It'll be good for you to see the other side of things while sober. It'll give you a better perspective." Sebastian said nothing. "If I leave here without you then Windsor is coming in. Do you really want that?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes and shook his head, a small smile on his lips. Windsor had a take no prisoner attitude and a thick New England accent he constantly poked fun at her for. If she came into his trailer she would no doubt drag him out by his hair. "Justâgive me five minutes and I'll be right there."

Stephen tapped his watch. "Five minutes," he said with a smirk as he turned to walk away.

"Hey, wait," Sebastian called. Stephen turned around with a raised brow. "Could you maybe just pretend that the last few minutes never happened?"

Stephen smiled with understanding. "Your secret's safe with me."

It was late when the crew members returned to set. Most of them were drunk off their asses but Sebastian had to admit it was nice talking with those who stayed sober. Stephen had been right about him needing to see things from a different perspective. He was cautious at first, watching his coworkers down their drinks. He had the itch just underneath his skin but he knew that he couldn't have even a drop and the itch was easier to ignore than he thought. Especially when he saw how the others acted while drunk. It was incredibly difficult to watch them, but also an eye opener. He thought back on all the times he acted so recklessly, all the times he made a complete ass of himself because of the liquor in his body. It nauseated him. He never wanted to experience it again. But he did have fun tonight, once he got passed the drunks around him. He danced and he laughed, and for the first time in a long time, he felt free.

As they walked back, Sebastian noticed a small white dog staring at them from across the street. He stopped in his tracks and watched the dog, waiting to see if it would run his way. But it never did. It just continued to stare at him, as if it was waiting to see if Sebastian would come to him. He almost did. He took a single step forward before Stephen called his name. He turned around, told Stephen that he was coming and looked back across the street. The dog was gone. He glanced around to see if the dog was making its way towards him but the roads were empty. With a shrug and a shake of his head, he walked inside the gated set.

Kurt inhaled deeply, Blaine's scent filling his lungs. Their hands and legs were intertwined and Kurt could feel Blaine's thumb lightly caressing his hand. A smile played at his lips but he kept his eyes shut. He felt absolutely extraordinary. There was a serenity surrounding him, a feeling of completion and unimaginable happiness. He felt like he was floating and the only thing keeping him grounded was Blaine's gentle touch.

"I know you're awake," Blaine said in a whisper.

Kurt's smile widened as he eyes fluttered open. Blaine smiled back at him and kissed Kurt's hand. "I knew you watched me sleep," he teased, his voice gruff.

"How could I not?" Blaine asked awestruck. "You're the most beautiful man on this entire planet. You're ethereal even."

Kurt snorted a laugh. "You've been dying to say that since you woke up, haven't you?"

Blaine grinned from ear to ear, and shrugged a little. "Maybe," he said and Kurt couldn't help but blush a little. "Last night wasâ"

"Amazing?" Kurt finished for him with a smile. "Breathtaking? Perfect?"

Blaine chuckled and nodded. "All of the above."

Kurt scooted closer and kissed Blaine's lips sweetly. "I can't believe The Mira came to see us."

"I know," Blaine said with a slow exhale. "Never in a million years did I think that would happen."

"Me either. Does this mean we're better than everybody else?" Kurt asked with slight tease.

Blaine's smile widened. "We're definitely better than everybody else," he said and Kurt giggled.

Blaine raised his hand to Kurt's face and caressed his cheek. They stared into each other's eyes, love and passion seeping through every pore. Kurt leaned closer and brushed his nose with Blaine's, his eyes blazing with fire. The air around them suddenly grew heavy and their lips met in a deep kiss, Kurt grabbing Blaine by his bicep and pushing him to lie on his back. Blaine moaned into the kiss as Kurt's dominance washed over him. He started to wrap his arms around Kurt's back but Kurt grabbed his hands, pinned them above his head, and straddled him. Blaine groaned at the sudden friction. Their cocks pressed together and Kurt rotated his hips expertly, smirking with satisfaction when Blaine released a guttural moan.

"You're so fucking hot like this," Kurt said with a growl, looking down at Blaine with hunger. Blaine looked up with bashful eyes and Kurt gyrated his hips harder. Blaine whined with want. "I fucking love it when you beg," he said arrogantly, bending forward to suck on Blaine's nipple.

"Kurt," Blaine groaned, his hips bucking upwards. "You are such a damn tease."

Kurt glanced up as he moved to Blaine's other nipple. "You love it," he said sultrily. Blaine nodded and threw his head back on the pillow. He tried to move his arms but Kurt gripped his wrists harder. Blaine couldn't help but smile to himself. He really did love it when Kurt took charge of him. Kurt backed away from Blaine's chest and let go of his wrists. Blaine looked up with confusion when Kurt unstraddled him. "Turn over," Kurt demanded and Blaine obliged instantly. He got on his hands and knees and looked behind him, anticipation coursing through him. Kurt licked his lips, his eyes raking over Blaine's body. "God you have such a nice ass," he said as he knelt in-between Blaine's legs. He placed a hand on each ass cheek and squeezed. "I've wanted to fuck this ass for years," Blaine merely groaned in response. "It's so firm and plump and just," Kurt pulled a hand back and slapped Blaine's ass hard. "So fucking delectable."

"Kurt," Blaine drew out, pushing his ass against Kurt's hands.

Kurt reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the bottle of lube. He grabbed a pillow and placed it underneath Blaine's waist. "Lay down," he instructed and Blaine did what he was told. "I am so going to enjoy this."

"As if you aren't already," Blaine retorted breathlessly.

Kurt slapped Blaine's ass again and Blaine hissed. "Don't get sassy," he warned though by the tone of his voice Blaine knew that he didn't mean it.

Blaine smirked at him. "What's the matter, Kurt? Don't you like it when I talk back?" Kurt's eyes narrowed as he landed another slap. Blaine bit his lip. "Come on now, sweetheart. You can do better than that," he challenged.

Kurt slapped him harder and Blaine moaned with pleasure. He laid his body flat on Blaine's back, his cock tucked perfectly in-between Blaine's ass cheeks. He grabbed Blaine's hands, intertwined their fingers, and held them still.

"You like that, don't you?" Kurt asked, speaking directly into Blaine's ear. "Me spanking you."

Blaine smiled mischievously, lifting his ass just enough to make Kurt groan. "I do. You're so hot when you get mean."

"Am I now?" Kurt questioned with a raised brow.

"So hot," Blaine purred. "I almost want to misbehave just to have you punish me."

Kurt hummed in contemplation as he kissed Blaine's back muscles. "I like the sound of that, you misbehaving. I could think of so many ways to punish you."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Blaine asked, his eyes sparkling with desire.

Kurt chuckled darkly as he sat up. "Can't tell ya. You'll just have to wait and see."

Blaine sucked on his lower lip and closed his eyes, images of being tied to the bedpost and Kurt dressed in leather whipping him running through his mind. He never imagined he'd be one for BDSM but the thought of Kurt taking complete control over him was insanely hot.

"What are you smirking at over there?" Kurt asked as he poured lube onto his fingers.

Blaine looked back at Kurt, an almost submissive look in his eyes. "I'm thinking about you tying me up and whipping me," he said lowly. "You'd look so damn sexy in leather."

A smile slowly crept over Kurt's face. "Duly noted," he breathed out. He traced Blaine's ass crack with a single digit, Blaine arching his ass to the touch. "You ready?"

Blaine nodded eagerly, turning his head back around and placing his chin on the pillow. His arms were extended out in the same place Kurt had held them and he grabbed at the sheets as Kurt inserted his finger. Kurt groaned behind him and he smirked, pushing his ass against Kurt's hand. This may have been his first time bottoming, but that didn't mean he was stranger to being stretched. Just like Kurt, he had prepared himself in the passing months for this moment with his own dildo and he was dying for Kurt's long, thick cock to fill him entirely.

Kurt watched with his mouth open as he stretched Blaine. He was practically salivating at the sight. He inserted a second finger and stretched Blaine slowly. Watching his fingers disappear inside Blaine was incredibly erotic, and the sounds Blaine emanated when he brushed that spot were by the far the sexiest thing he'd ever witnessed.

"Kurt," Blaine moaned, enunciating the T. "Baby, please."

Kurt bit his lip and inserted a third finger. "I'm sorry, Blaine, I didn't quite catch that," he teased as he brushed against the spot once more.

"Kurt," Blaine growled. "Please, baby. I need you inside me. Please," he begged.

Kurt slowly removed his fingers, smiling at the whine that escaped Blaine's lip. "Well, since you asked so nicely."

Blaine turned his head to look at Kurt and moaned softly. Kurt was stroking himself, covering his throbbing erection with lube. He could watch Kurt touch himself for hours and be the happiest man alive.

"Like what you see?" Kurt asked when he caught Blaine staring.

"Fuck," Blaine groaned. "So much. You're so fucking sexy."

Kurt lined himself with Blaine's hole and pushed in, both howling with pleasure. Once fully inside, Kurt laid down on Blaine's back and grabbed hold of Blaine's hands. "So are you," he growled. He brought Blaine's arms close to his body and laced their fingers. Their arms were bent together and Kurt held on tight, using his knees to pull out and then his arms to help him push in hard. "Blaine, fuck!"

"I love it when you say my name like that," Blaine mumbled. He clenched his ass as Kurt pushed in and threw his head back with a mewl.

"Ohmygod," Kurt moaned, his thrusts picking up speed, "fortheloveofgoddothatagain."

Kurt's words were barely coherent but Blaine understood and continued to clench as Kurt fucked him. Kurt thrust harder, faster, and the headboard started slamming into the wall. Kurt bit down on Blaine's shoulder blade and Blaine howled, his head falling back on Kurt's shoulder.

"Fuck, fuck, yes!" Blaine screamed, his abdomen churning as Kurt pounded into him. "Right there, rightâ" he trailed off, unable to form words any longer.

Kurt fucked him harder, moaning as he left bite marks all over Blaine's back. Blaine's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he came hard, Kurt's throaty moans mixing with his wails of pleasure. Kurt's body shuddered as he came inside Blaine, nearly blacking out for a moment from the intensity. They laid still for a long while, both breathing slowly and in sync as they came down from their post orgasmic high. Kurt let out a breathy chuckle as he pulled out of Blaine and rolled off him. Blaine folded his arms underneath his chin, a sated smile on his lips.

"That was incredible," Kurt breathed, his arm resting on Blaine's lower back.

"Mhm," Blaine nodded, his eyes half closed. He forced himself to lay on his side and tucked his head into the crook of Kurt's neck, kissing up Kurt's jawline softly. "Almost as incredible as last night."

Kurt closed his eyes and hummed. "I'm going to miss this when you leave for Europe," he spoke quietly.

"Don't think about that right now," Blaine whispered. "We have plenty of time before I go back on tour and I promise you that I will make every second count."

Kurt opened his eyes to look at Blaine and smiled lovingly. "I look forward to it," Blaine pushed Kurt back gently and rested his head on Kurt's chest. "What are we doing today? Other than the obvious."

Blaine chuckled and kissed Kurt's skin. "Hm, nothing. Just this. All day."

"We'll have to get up and eat eventually, Blaine," Kurt said with amusement, though the thought of leaving bed was far from appealing.

"The only thing I want to eat is you," Blaine flirted and Kurt laughed.

Kurt carded his hands through Blaine's hair and played with his curls. "You're such a dork I swear."

Blaine looked up at Kurt with puppy eyes. "But I'm your dork, right?" he pouted.

Kurt groaned. "Blaine, don't look at me like that," he whined. "I can't take how adorable you are!"

Blaine laughed and scooted up to kiss Kurt's nose. "You love it."

Kurt sighed, a dreamy look in his eyes. "I really do. But," he said, his voice going lower. "Not nearly as much as you love me spanking you," he teased and Blaine's cheeks turned a bright red. "I didn't know you had a kink for pain, Anderson."

"I didn't either," Blaine laughed. "But it's nothing compared to your wall sex kink."

"Mm, wall sex," Kurt moaned with appreciation. "That's what we're doing next."

"In the shower?" Blaine asked hopefully.

Kurt leaned forward and caught his lips in a heated kiss. "In the shower. Then maybe we can desecrate the hot tub."

Blaine smiled and nodded, bringing his hand to Kurt's face and cupping his cheek. "Perfect," he said against Kurt's lips. "Then we'll move on to the kitchen table."

"The table, huh?" Kurt asked with delight.

"Mhm," Blaine grinned. "I'm going to bend you over the table and fuck you so hard that you won't be able to remember your own name."

Kurt groaned with anticipation, an excited smile on his lips. "Sounds perfect," he said before crashing their mouths together. They were in for a very good day.

Hunter sat in his living room with Jeff, Nick, and Wes, drinking a couple of beers and hanging out for the afternoon. He hadn't expected Jeff and Nick to tag along with Wes, but he didn't mind. The more people around him, the easier it was to ignore the pain in his heart. He did have to admit though that it was fun hanging with the boys again. He was always either with fellow teachers that didn't connect with him or his students. Being with the guys made him feel like a teenager again.

"It was not Mr. Puss' fault!" Hunter yelled though there was a smile on his lips. "It was an accident!"

"Accident my ass!" Jeff fought back, fuming. "That demon cat did it on purpose!"

"He was a cat, Jeff. How could he have done it on purpose?" Wes asked seriously though he bit back a laugh.

Jeff huffed, crossing his arms. "I don't know. All I know is that he was an evil genius and he killed my Warbler," he said with such sadness that the others all rolled their eyes. "Barkley was a beautiful creature with an inspirational song in his heart. He moved me. And your cat killed him!"

"For the last time Mr. Puss did not kill that damn bird!" Hunter shouted. Wes snorted a laugh and Nick bit back his own. They would all be old and gray, and Jeff and Hunter would still be arguing over this.

"I've told you we could always buy you a new one," Nick said sweetly. "We could name him Barkley Jr."

"It wouldn't be the same," Jeff grumbled. "Where's your bathroom?"

"Second door to the left," Hunter said, pointing in the general direction.

Jeff stood up and mumbled under his breath about the evil cat as he walked off. Hunter waved him off with an eye roll. He looked behind him to make sure Jeff was gone and then turned to Nick and Wes with a smirk. "Can I tell you guys something?" he whispered conspiringly. Wes and Nick glanced at each other and nodded. "Mr. Puss didn't eat Barkley. I set him free."

"Hunter!" Wes gasped, Nick's jaw going slack.

"I had to!" Hunter said quickly. "Jeff was torturing that bird and you know it! Barkley was grateful that I let him go and you should be too. Don't act like you didn't cringe every time Jeff decided to play dress up with him. No animal deserves to be dressed in tiny clothes!"

Wes threw his head back and laughed. Nick simply shook his head. "All these years we thought that Mr. Puss opened Barkley's cage and it was you," Nick said in shock. "I can't believe you let Barkley out."

"YOU LET BARKLEY OUT!" Jeff's voice rang out from the entryway.

Hunter turned around with a guilty expression. "Jeff, let me explain."

"Explain what? That you took my very best friend away from me?!" Jeff shrieked. "How could you?!"

Hunter opened his mouth to talk but shut it when words evaded him. "Jeffery," Wes said sternly though a smirk played at his lips. "Isn't it better that Barkley was set free than eaten though?"

"Iâbutâyeah," Jeff shoulders slumped as he took his seat. "But I had him since freshman year. He was my buddy," he pouted.

"At least he's not dead," Hunter reasoned with a small shrug.

"Yeah, honey. He's probably still alive and well and he probably has himself a little bird family," Nick said comfortingly.

"I guess," Jeff mumbled, crossing his arms with a huff. He turned to Hunter with a glare. "Did you really let him out or are you just trying to cover up for that demon cat?"

A smirk slowly crept up Hunter's face but he didn't say a word. He truly had released Barkley but he couldn't help but screw with Jeff a little longer. Jeff's eyes went wide but before he could say anything, Wes cut in. "Whatever did happen to Mr. Puss? All you ever told me was that you didn't have him anymore."

I uhâlost him the week before I met Sebastian," Hunter spoke quietly, a forced smile on his lips. "I was really anxious and just all over the place and I accidentally left a window open when I went to class. He was gone when I came back."

They were all quiet for a moment, unsure of how Hunter would react next. They had stayed away from the topic of Sebastian all afternoon, not wanting to start unnecessary issues.

"Well," Jeff said with nonchalance. "You can consider that payback for letting Barkley go."

Hunter glanced up with a glare but then laughed. "Yeah, I guess I can."

"He really was a cool cat though," Nick said with a nod, pulling his phone out to check the time.

"He was the coolest," Wes agreed.

Jeff glared at them. "He was evil."

"You're just saying that because he didn't like you," Nick pointed out.

"Exactly!" Jeff shouted. "Animals love me! Clearly Mr. Puss was evil if he didn't like me!" They all laughed with the exception of Hunter. His eyes were on the ground, his head lost in a memory. The guys glanced at each other warily. It wasn't the first time that afternoon that Hunter seemed to lose himself in his head. "You ok, bro?" Jeff asked with concern.

Hunter nodded though none of them were convinced."Can Iâcan I ask you guys something?" He asked just above a whisper. "About Sebastian."

Nick and Jeff looked at Wes who shrugged. "Yeah, sure," Wes replied.

Hunter stayed silent for a few minutes and when he finally looked up, there were tears in his eyes. "What happened between him and Blaine?"

Jeff chose his words carefully. "Exactly what Blaine told you happened," he said seriously. "Their relationship was a farce, Hunter. It was never meant to be anything more."

"But what happened?" Hunter asked with a hint of desperation in his voice. "Why did they do it in the first place? Why did they end it? What happened?!"

Wes placed a comforting hand on Hunter's back. "That's not our story to tell, Hunter," Hunter took a shuddering breath and shook his head. "Could you give us a minute?" Wes directed at Nick and Jeff.

"Of course," Nick said as they stood up. "We need to head out anyway. We promised my mom we'd visit them next."

"We'll go wait in the car," Jeff said. Nick and him sent Hunter a sad smile though he didn't see it and walked out of his apartment.

"Hunter, can I be honest with you? Truly honest?" Wes asked quietly. Hunter nodded. "You need to let this go," Hunter looked at him, pain and longing in his eyes. "What happened between Blaine and Sebastian is a lot more complicated than you could imagine. There are things you don't know because you never gave them a real chance to explain. And if you don't let this anger go, it'll consume you completely. It almost consumed Sebastian."

"You don't understand, Wes," Hunter said pitifully. "You don't understand this pain, this hole in my heart."

"You're right. I don't. But I've seen what can happen to someone if they hold on to that pain, if they let themselves fall into that hole," Wes told him. "I watched Sebastian fall and it was heartbreaking. I don't want you to fall too."

"It's just so hard," Hunter said brokenly.

"I'm not telling you it's going to be easy," Wes said with a small smile. "But I am telling you that it's going to be worth it. Fate doesn't make mistakes. You and Sebastian could be happy if you allow yourselves to."

"What if he doesn't want me anymore?" Hunter asked worriedly. "What if I've ruined things beyond repair?"

"You haven't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm Wes. I'm all knowing," Wes said and Hunter offered him a small smile. "Seriously, man. Stop holding onto that pain and guilt. Stop worrying about whether or not you two belong together. Accept what is and what is not. When you start trying to move on from the past, truly trying, everything else will fall into place."

Hunter nodded, a grateful smile on his lips. "You sound like your mom," he teased lightly.

"Yes well, she's right," Wes shrugged. "She always is."

"Yeah," Hunter nodded. "You should go. The guys are waiting." They both stood up from the couch and hugged. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep," Wes confirmed as they parted. "Vanessa and I will be over early. We'll bring games, movies, and lots of booze. It'll be a sleepover to rival all sleepovers."

Hunter laughed a little. "Yeah right, Montgomery. You'll pass out halfway through one movie and then Vanessa and I will plan the rest of your future." Wes laughed as they walked to the door, knowing that what Hunter said was true. "We'll talk about how many babies you guys want, we'll name them all, and yes, we will give them super Asian names. Then we'll talk about how you're going to be a stay-at-home dad while she takes over the world, one library at a time."

"Books are the most powerful weapons in the world, ya know?" Wes said seriously, though a smirk played at his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow bro."

"See ya," Hunter said with a nod. He stood by the door and waited until Wes was in the car to walk away.

Hunter cleaned up the few beer bottles on the coffee table and poured the rest down the sink before throwing them in the recycle bin. He walked to his bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, images of Sebastian flooding his mind. "But those are the days that bind us together, forever. And those little things define us forever, forever," he sang to himself, that night's memories still fresh in his mind.

"It doesn't have to be like this. We can make this work," Sebastian said with desperation.

Hunter pulled away as if he'd been burned. "No, we can't. You don't care about anyone but yourself."

"That's not true!" Sebastian yelled. "I love you!"

"Then don't go!" Hunter shouted, begging. "Stay here with me!"

Tears streamed down Hunter's cheeks, guilt coursing through him. "All this bad blood here, won't you let it dry? It's been cold for years, won't you let it lie?"

Sebastian scoffed, unable to believe what Hunter was asking him. "This is my career we're talking about here! I can't just not go!"

"Of course you only care about your fucking career! You're a selfish bastard! Just like your mother was a selfish bitch!" Hunter regretted the words the instant they fell out of his mouth. "Sebastian, I didn't mean-"

"Like hell you didn't," Sebastian cut him off angrily. "If I'm selfish than you're a fucking coward just like your mother."

Hunter broke into a sob. They could've worked it out, if he let them. They could've had something, if he tried. But he had been too insecure. He said things he didn't mean, words that never should've been spoken, and they ripped their relationship apart. Now he was terrified that they would never work, that the wounds were too deep. "I'm sorry, Bas," he cried into his hands. "I'm so sorry."

In London, Sebastian shot up from his bed drenched in sweat. He breathed heavily, his mind shifting out of the dream he was in. The nightmare he was in. He quickly turned his lamp on and looked at his wrist, dread filling him. Hunter's name was still there. He let out a shaky breath of relief. He couldn't remember the details of the nightmare, how he ended up in the arms of the strange man. But he remembered looking at his wrist and Hunter's name being gone. He could still feel the sharp pain deep in his soul even though it was fading. He stared at his wrist, waiting to see if Hunter's name would disappear. When it didn't, he fell back into his bed. He grabbed his cellphone to look at the time and groaned. He'd only been asleep for about an hour. He looked at his wrist again and without another thought, called Hunter.

Hunter's tears stopped the moment his phone rang. With a shaky hand, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and inhaled sharply at Sebastian's smiling face. He gulped before picking up. "Hello," he answered, his voice gruff from crying.

"Are you ok?" Sebastian asked instantly.

Hunter cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok."

"Are you sure?" Sebastian asked, unconvinced.

"Mhm," Hunter assured him. "I uh, I was watching Marley and Me," he lied. "Stupid dog made me cry."

"Oh," Sebastian breathed. "Right. Ok."

"Are you alright?" Hunter asked cautiously. "You seem out of breath."

"I'm fine," Sebastian answered, staring at Hunter's name, still waiting for it to disappear. He exhaled slowly when it didn't. "Yeah, I'm fine. Bad dream."

Hunter worried his lip. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Iâno. It's ok," Sebastian replied. "I um, I should go. I have an early call."

"Right. Of course," Hunter said, his voice breaking. "I hope you get a good night sleep."

Sebastian smiled a little, a wave of warmth filling his heart. "Thanks. You too. I'll call you soon."

"I'll be waiting," the words escaped Hunter's lips on their own accord but he couldn't regret them because they were true. "Goodnight, Sebastian."

"Goodnight, Hunter."

Sebastian ended the call and tossed his phone on the nightstand. He stared up at the ceiling, the feeling of dread and loss that came from the dream just barely bubbling underneath the surface. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "It was only a dream," he told himself. "It wasn't real. It was only a dream." He brought his wrist up to his face to look at Hunter's name. He kissed it softly, the fear finally subsiding completely. "I still love you," he whispered into the night before reaching over and turning off the light.

A/N: I hope you liked it. See ya soon. :)

Happy New Year

A/N: Hello my wonderful beautiful darlings. I'm so sorry for the delay on this update. Life took a hard swing my way and it took me awhile to actually get this written. I hope this was worth the wait. I love you guys.

MuseInMe3, thank you for being such an incredible friend and beta. I'm lucky to have you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my imagination.

"You're looking awfully pleased over there," Kurt teased with a smirk. They were lying in bed moments away from falling asleep for the night after another rousing round of sex.

Blaine hummed and his eyes fluttered open. "I'm just really happy."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Blaine nodded. He inhaled deeply as he turned on his side, his arm tucking underneath his head. "I've never been happier in my entire life."

Kurt smiled, a slight flush on his cheeks, and turned his body to face Blaine. "Me either." Kurt reached for Blaine's free hand and intertwined their fingers. "I'm going to miss this when you're gone," he said just above a whisper.

"Don't think about that right now," Blaine spoke gently. "Let's just enjoy the time we have together."

"But I have to think about it, Blaine," Kurt whined with a pout. "The reality is that once we get home, our privacy will be completely gone. We're not going to be able to have days like this where we could just lay in bed naked. We're not going to be able to enjoy the serenity because either Finn or Tana are going to be barging in without warning. Then I'm going to go back to school and before we know it, you're going to be leaving." Blaine frowned at the crack in Kurt's voice. "I'm going to miss you so much more now that we've bonded. What are we going to do? How are we going to survive?"

Blaine leaned closer and captured Kurt's lips in a sweet kiss, letting go of Kurt's hand to cup his cheek. "We'll survive because our love is too strong not to," Blaine "You're looking awfully pleased over there," Kurt teased with a smirk. They were lying in bed moments away from falling asleep for the night after another rousing round of sex.

Blaine hummed and his eyes fluttered open. "I'm just really happy."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Blaine nodded. He inhaled deeply as he turned on his side, his arm tucking underneath his head. "I've never been happier in my entire life."

Kurt smiled, a slight flush on his cheeks, and turned his body to face Blaine. "Me either." Kurt reached for Blaine's free hand and intertwined their fingers. "I'm going to miss this when you're gone," he said just above a whisper.

"Don't think about that right now," Blaine spoke gently. "Let's just enjoy the time we have together."

"But I have to think about it, Blaine," Kurt whined with a pout. "The reality is that once we get home, our privacy will be completely gone. We're not going to be able to have days like this where we could just lay in bed naked. We're not going to be able to enjoy the serenity because either Finn or Tana are going to be barging in without warning. Then I'm going to go back to school and before we know it, you're going to be leaving." Blaine frowned at the crack in Kurt's voice. "I'm going to miss you so much more now that we've bonded. What are we going to do? How are we going to survive?"

Blaine leaned closer and captured Kurt's lips in a sweet kiss, letting go of Kurt's hand to cup his cheek. "We'll survive because our love is too strong not to," Blaine said as if to remind him. "It's going to be hard and I'm sure there will be days where all we're going to want to do is cry. But love, we can do this. I know we can. It'll only be like 3 months. We'll see each other during Spring Break, I'll come back for your graduation, and then you'll join us on the last month of our tour. If you think about, in the grand scheme of life, it's really not that long."

"I know," Kurt sighed deeply. "It's just going to really suck being away from you."

"It is. But we're going to be ok," Blaine promised gently. "Let's not think about that right now," he said, scooting his body closer. "Let's think about something else."

Kurt closed his eyes and tilted his head back as Blaine's lips suddenly attached themselves to his neck. "Like what?" he questioned, his worries already slipping away.

Blaine hummed against Kurt's skin, his arm snaking around Kurt's lower back. "Like the fact that I'm going to make love to you all night long."

"All night, huh?" Kurt asked with a smirk, though his body was on fire. "We've had a long day, Blaine. Don't you think we should take a break?"

Blaine pushed Kurt on his back and swung his leg over Kurt's body. "Definitely not," he said with a grin, leaning forward and swallowing Kurt's giggles with a kiss.

It was late morning when Blaine finally awoke to an empty bed. He stretched his limbs, his body sore from the previous two days. He smirked proudly to himself. Sebastian would be impressed with him for the amount of sex Kurt and he had during the last forty-eight hours. Their first day had started off by rolling around in bed until their stomachs were desperate for food. They ate and then they tried several different positions in the kitchen, including Kurt holding himself up on the counter with his legs in the air as Blaine pounded into him. From the kitchen they migrated to the hot tub, the living room, the laundry room where Blaine sat on the washer while it was in spin cycle, the bathroom, back to the kitchen where Kurt's body was sprawled out over the table, the bathroom again where Kurt sat on the shower bench and Blaine rode his cock, and finally back in bed where they made love until late into the night.

They spent the second day having sex in every room of the cabin, marking each other's bodies with bites and scratches, and finally playing an intense game of Hide N' Go Seek. The winner was crowned the master for the rest of the day and the loser was his slave. Blaine's cock throbbed at the memory of all the things Kurt did to him, the way he took control of Blaine and the punishments that he received. The way Blaine saw it, he was the true winner.

But today was not the day for another sex marathon. It was New Year's Eve and they had a full day planned before announcing Kurt to the world. With a roll of his neck, Blaine finally sat up and got out of bed. He dressed quickly and walked towards the main patio. He stood by the window and smiled. Kurt had been awake for hours already working in the snow.

"We used to make these really cool snow villages when we were little," Kurt had told him. "But as we got older and Cheerios took over, it was hard to find the time to do it. But it's always been my favorite part about winter."

Blaine had offered to help but Kurt wanted it to be a surprise for him so he stayed in bed and slept for a little while longer. He couldn't see exactly what Kurt was crafting but his face was scrunched in concentration and his cheeks were pink from the cold. Blaine glanced around and saw what he guessed represented their future home. He smiled at the thought. He couldn't wait to go house hunting with Kurt.

Thirty minutes later, Blaine stuck his head out of the patio door and shouted for his love. "Kurt, come eat some lunch before you freeze to death!" he smirked.

Kurt looked up from his Blaine snowman and smiled. "I'll be right in," he yelled back and brought his attention back to the bowtie he was trying to perfect.

"It'll be there when you're done," Blaine called out. "Come eat with me. I miss your beautiful face."

Kurt looked back up with the intention of giving Blaine a, do you really think that's going to work on me, look, but Blaine's pouty smirk melted him from the inside out. With a sigh, Kurt nodded. "Alright, alright. I'm coming."

Blaine grinned from ear to ear and waited by the door for Kurt to make his way up. "I knew you couldn't resist my pout," he teased as Kurt walked past him.

Kurt turned to glare at him but again, the look on Blaine's face won over his. "Whatever," he grumbled as he took his coat off and continued to the kitchen. Blaine chuckled and followed after him.

"So what exactly are you building out there?" Blaine wondered as they sat at the table.

Kurt hummed, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Can't tell ya. It's a surprise," he sang.

"I can help you know," Blaine offered once more. "I'm sure I'm not as skilled building snow people like you obviously seem to be but I take instructions well."

A devilish grin spread across Kurt's face and at the realization of his words, Blaine's cheeks flushed bright red. "Oh, I know you can take instructions well," Kurt purred and Blaine lowered his eyes, a smirk on lips. "But, no thank you. It's a surprise. Don't ask me about it again or I won't finish it."

"Yes, sir," Blaine replied cheekily. Kurt bit his lower lip to keep the arousal at bay. He loved it when Blaine called him sir. "What are your plans for the rest of the day then? Once you finish?"

"Well, I'd like to get some cleaning done and I gotta Skype with Dad but that's it. What about you?" Kurt asked him. "All you have to do is talk to Eric and the guys right?"

Blaine nodded as he took a sip of his water. "Yeah, and I'd like to get in touch with Perez if I can. I'd call my mom but I'm sure she's busy with last minute party planning for tonight so I'll just email her."

"Mk, so then after all the calls are made we'll have our movie marathon?" Kurt asked excitedly.

"Yep. We'll start with the Disney classics, work our way through a few timeless romantic comedies, and then finish off with Moulin Rouge," Blaine grinned.

Kurt smiled with a nod. "Perfect."

After eating lunch, Kurt turned his laptop on, connected it to the Wi-Fi, and signed into his Skype. As much as he enjoyed the time away with Blaine, he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss his family at least a little. He could only imagine how crazy his girls were driving his father or how much they were torturing Finn without him there to keep them from misbehaving.

Burt answered the call and Kurt smiled widely. "Hey, Dad!"

"Hey, son," Burt answered a bit cautiously though he wore a smirk. "How's everything been?"

Kurt's smile grew impossibly wider. "Everything's been great. Perfect actually."

"Yeah?" Burt questioned with a raised brow.

Kurt blushed a little and nodded. "Yeah. It's been amazing."

"Well, good," Burt said with an approving nod. "I'm glad to hear it." Kurt continued to smile and Burt could only smile along with him. All they shared was a simple greeting and yet Burt could see the difference in his son. His little boy was bonded. He was officially a man. The pride Burt felt nearly brought a tear to his eye. "So, why you calling me if everything is so perfect?" he teased in a dreamy voice.

Kurt rolled his eyes though the smile on his face remained. "I just wanted to let you know that we're officially announcing me tonight so be prepared."

Burt waved his hand dismissively. "No worries, we are all set up. The guys at the shop have been informed that it'll probably get pretty chaotic for a while there. I ran them through the protocol and they are ready to go. They all say Congrats by the way." Kurt preened with pride. "The New Directions will be spending the night here tonight, they figured they'd bring in the New Year's together, so they'll be here when the madness happens. I'll call the security guys right after I get off the phone with you so they're ready to go, and uh yeah, we're good to go."

Kurt let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, good. Just remember, don't talk to the paparazzi when they bombard you. They'll end up twisting your words. Just say exactly what-"

"What we rehearsed," Burt cut him off with amusement. "I got it, son. 'Blaine's incredible, we couldn't be happier to have him in our lives, his money is certainly a nice bonus'," Burt joked on the last one and Kurt's eyes went wide. "I'm kidding, Kurt. Relax," he laughed. "Everything's going to be fine. We've been preparing for this for months. Hell, we have our own security detail renting the house down the street. We're good."

"Aren't you at least a bit nervous?" Kurt wondered.

"Nope," Burt said confidently. "I'm actually pretty excited. I feel like I'm in a James Bond movie or something."

Kurt snorted a laugh. "Ok, Dad. I'm gonna let you go. Blaine's got a few calls he has to make too."

"Alright. Happy New Year's son. Enjoy your last day of freedom," Burt tried to tease but faltered at the end. Kurt's smile fell and his shoulders slumped. "Hey, turn that frown back upside down, son. Everything's going to be alright."

"I know," Kurt nodded with a small smile and took a deep breath. "I'll call you tomorrow to check on things. Happy New Year's, Dad. Love you."

"Love you too."

Kurt ended the call and looked up to see Blaine leaning on the wall watching him with a soft smile. "Everything ok?"

Kurt nodded as he stood from the chair. He walked over to Blaine and wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, resting his head in the crook of Blaine's neck. Blaine closed his eyes, his arms wrapping around Kurt's shoulders and inhaled deeply, turning his head to kiss Kurt's cheek. "Yeah, everything's ok."

"Were you going to use the landline to call your voicemail too?" Blaine wondered as they parted though they kept their arms around each other.

"Nope. I'm sure it's full of Tana bitching about Finn and Finn bitching about Tana so I'll wait," Kurt said uncaringly. "I'm headed back outside. Meet me out there when you're all done?"

"Will do," Blaine promised. Kurt pecked Blaine on the nose and walked away.

Blaine took a seat at the desk and picked up the landline first to call his voicemail. He had two from Eric and several from the guys, including a false alarm on Katherine going into labor. He had one from his mother and his brother, and the one that interested him the most was from Sebastian. He Skyped with Eric first and together they got in touch with Perez. He then called the guys in a group chat where they inevitably teased. And finally, he called Sebastian, the one call he was most anxious for.

"Well, well, well," Sebastian said in greeting when their call connected. Blaine grinned with excitement and relief when his best friend answered. "Look who's taking a break from his super-secret magical vacation."

"Hey, Seb," Blaine chuckled happily.

"So, where are you? The Swiss Alps?" Sebastian asked with a smug grin.

"Actually, we're in the Rocky Mountains," Blaine replied and Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Of course you are. You'll take him to the Swiss Alps for your ten year anniversary," Sebastian teased and Blaine knew that he was right. "So, what's up? What's going on? Did you twoâ?"

Blaine looked down with a bashful smile and nodded. "Yeah, we did," he answered, raising his hand to show Sebastian his uncufffed wrist. Kurt's name was darker and bolder, and there was a line in the shape of a figure eight just underneath it.

Sebastian smiled with pride. "Congrats bro. I'm really happy for you," he said sincerely.

"Thanks, Seb," Blaine replied. "It's been an amazing trip. It was an incredibly breathtaking experience," Sebastian raised a curious brow and Blaine looked away, seeming more like his 16 year old best friend than the man he grew to be. "It came to us, Seb," Blaine said just above the whisper. "The Mira came to us."

Sebastian's face lit up like a Christmas tree and for a moment, they were teenagers back at Dalton.

"Dude, you have to be like, way epic for The Mira to come see you," Blaine said with awe, his nose in his soulmate book. "Did you know that it's so rare for The Mira to visit souls that the last time it happened was in the 1700s? As far as we know anyway. I mean, other people may have been visited but they haven't come forth about it. Although, I don't know why they wouldn't. It's such an honor! Why wouldn't they tell everyone! Then again, maybe no one wants to come forth because it's such a deep and private affair," Blaine turned to look at Sebastian with wide eyes. "Can you just imagine it? I bet those souls have the most breathtaking love of all."

"You're such a sap, Anderson," Sebastian teased as he continued to work on his Economics homework. "With your luck you'll get visited by The Mira and be disgustingly cute."

Blaine scoffed and turned away. "Yeah, right. You gotta be amazing, Seb. Like truly amazing. I'm just some kid whose parents can't even accept that he's gay. You have to have a pure soul and you have to have this connection with your soulmate that's untouchable. You can't be tainted or broken. There's no way I'm even on the same playing field as those souls. There's no way I'd be pure enough for The Mira to even consider me."

Sebastian picked up his tennis ball from the desk and threw it at Blaine's head. Blaine shouted in pain and turned to scowl at Sebastian. "Don't be stupid. You're Blaine Anderson; you're sex on a stick and you sing like a dream," Blaine rolled his eyes and Sebastian continued. "You're kind and generous, and you would do anything to ensure the happiness of others. You're genuine, truly so. If anyone is going to see The Mira, it's you."

Blaine pouted, tossing the tennis ball back before getting up from his spot on the floor and sitting on his bed. "You didn't have to throw that at me," he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"I've already told you, anytime you're being self-deprecating, I'm going to throw this at you," Sebastian said firmly. "And I'm being serious. You're incredible, Blaine. Don't let your parents get in your head. You're better than that." Blaine looked away and shrugged. "Besides, even if The Mira doesn't come to you, you'll still be sickeningly adorable with whoever your soulmate turns out to be. You'll probably serenade him the moment you meet him."

Blaine smiled a little. "Probably. But it's whatever. I have two more years before I even need to think about it. Unlike you who officially has less than six months to go," Blaine sang.

A flush crept up Sebastian's cheeks but he kept his eyes on his textbook. "Do your damn homework, Anderson."

"I told you The Mira would come to you," Sebastian teased gently. "You should know never to doubt me."

"Yeah," Blaine chuckled. "I still can't believe it happened."

"What was it like?" Sebastian asked curiously. "The whole bonding experience?"

Blaine shook his head slowly. "Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. It was magical," Sebastian nodded, looking away for a moment. Blaine offered a sad smile. "It's worth the wait though. I can promise you that whatever you and Hunter are going through, the end result, you two bonding and becoming one, will be worth every second of heartache."

"If we ever get there," Sebastian mumbled and shrugged.

"You will," Blaine assured him. "It's just going to take some time."

Sebastian shook his head vigorously. "I don't want to talk about that right now. When you get back to the states and we have time to actually talk, then we will. But not right now. I have to be on set in like ten minutes. I can't have Hunter on my mind," Blaine nodded with understanding. Sebastian didn't mention that Hunter was always on his mind. "Tell me more about your trip. How's the sex been?" he asked with a smirk.

Blaine bit back a smile, glancing around to make sure that Kurt wasn't around. "I call him sir," he shared and Sebastian's jaw went slack. "And he really likes to tie me up."

Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. "Blaine Anderson you kinky little pervert!" Blaine shrugged, a proud smirk on his lips. "I never pegged you for slave and master kind of man."

"I didn't either," Blaine laughed. "But for Kurt, I'd do anything."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Sebastian questioned. Blaine pursed his lips and shook his head. "Oh come on, B! Give me some details here."

"Nope."

"I can't believe you're holding out on me. You are an awful, awful friend," Sebastian said with faux sadness.

Blaine simply laughed. "You'll get over it. Although," Blaine paused, looking around once more before getting closer to the computer screen to whisper. "I will say this. Kurt has a very, very hungry appetite."

"How hungry?"

"Let's just say that he likes to try every position imaginable and remember he's a cheerleader. He's extremely flexible," Blaine winked as he sat back.

Sebastian nodded his approval. "Nicely done, Anderson. The four of us will have to get together one day and swap stories."

The words fell out of Sebastian's mouth of their own accord and his face dropped. Blaine smiled softly though. Sebastian could deny it all he wanted, but Blaine knew that deep down, Sebastian knew he and Hunter would be ok. "That sounds like a perfect plan, Seb. You and Kurt can discuss all the ways you drive Hunter and I crazy while we discuss all the ways we love to tease you two."

Sebastian chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan." Sebastian's trailer door opened and a crew member told him they were ready for him. "I gotta get going, B. Call me when you're home. We have a lot to talk about."

"I will," Blaine nodded. "Happy New Year's bro."

"Happy New Year's, B." Sebastian half smiled and ended the call.

Blaine drummed his fingers on the keyboard in contemplation before quickly signing into his email. He could hear Wes' voice telling him to leave things alone but that didn't stop him from emailing Hunter.

Hey Hunter,

I know I shouldn't be emailing you about this, but I spoke with Sebastian. He's doing well and he looks good. But he misses you. We only spoke of you for a moment but the longing in his eyes was clear as day. I don't know how often you two talk, but be patient with him. He won't say it, but he's terrified of losing you. He loves you Hunter, truly and deeply. Please don't forget that.

I hope you have a happy New Year's.

You friend,

Blaine

Blaine sent the email with a satisfied smile and logged off the computer. He checked the time and was relieved to see that it was only three in the afternoon. Kurt and he still had plenty of time to enjoy each other before announcing him. With a stretch of his arms, he stood up and went to grab his coat to meet Kurt outside.

"Kurt," Blaine spoke with awe. Kurt looked over his shoulder to see Blaine walking up behind him and smiled. "There is no way you did all of this by yourself. You must have hired tiny elves to do this."

Kurt laughed as he made his final touches to his Kurt snowman and stepped back. He built a perfect replica of Blaine and himself, a mailbox, a flowerbed, and a path that led to the snow house. "I know the house is small but with the angle of how we'll take the picture, it'll look perfect. Do you like it?"

"It's incredible," Blaine said. He stepped closer to the snowmen to inspect. "Your eye for detail is phenomenal."

"We used to compete and Dad would judge the best snowman," Kurt told him. "If you think I'm good, you should see Britt. No matter how hard Tana, Q, and I worked on our snow people, Britt's would always blow us out of the water."

"When we have our house and we have kids, we are totally going to do this," Blaine said with a giddy smile.

"Oh yeah," Kurt nodded with agreement. "Come on. Let's take some pictures."

Kurt hurried over to the bag he had and pulled out the camera. Blaine grabbed the tripod and followed after him. Kurt took some pictures of just the snowmen first and then a few of the house. He looked through the camera as he stepped away until he found the perfect angle. They then set the camera up on the tripod, set the timer, and quickly walked over to their snow selves. Blaine stood straight with his hands in his pocket and Kurt linked his arm through Blaine's. He rested his head on top of Blaine's shoulder and crossed one leg over the other. With Blaine resting his head on top of Kurt's, they were posing exactly like the snowmen. They smiled as the camera took multiple pictures. At one point, Blaine lifted his head to look at Kurt, an adoring smile on his lips. He truly was luckiest man in the world.

"I think it's done," Kurt said as he pulled away from Blaine. "Let me set it up one more time just to be sure. I'll set the timer for longer so we can walk around while it takes the pictures."

Blaine nodded and watched him go. As Kurt reset the camera, Blaine stealthily picked up some snow to make a snowball. He kept his arm hidden behind him as Kurt walked to his side. The moment Blaine heard the shutter of the camera, he pulled his arm around and smashed the snowball into Kurt's chest.

Kurt gasped, his eyes wide. "You did not just do that!" Blaine shrugged innocently as he backed away from Kurt, bending over to grab more snow. "Oh it is so on, Anderson!" he shouted and Blaine booked it.

Blaine ran towards the snow house as snowballs were suddenly being pelted at him. He threw the one in his hand and went to grab another, but Kurt was quick on his feet and was by his side in no time. They chased each other throughout the yard, tossing snow and laughing jovially. Blaine turned on his heel too quickly and found him on the ground with an armful of Kurt. Instead of getting up though, he wrapped his arms around Kurt's back and brought their lips together. Kurt melted into Blaine's arms and kissed him back sensually. They stayed on the ground for a little while, simply kissing and enjoying being in each other's arms. With the cold wind blowing in however, they finally parted, grabbed the camera, and headed back inside.

"So, I was thinking that after our movie marathon, we could go through the photos we just took and choose one to post tonight after you tweet about me, but from my account," Kurt suggested. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, we can do that," Blaine nodded, his body shivering slightly as he removed his coat and gloves. "Are you going to change your name and icon too?"

"Mhm, and I already know which picture too. I'm going to use one from my birthday," Kurt smiled.

"Awesome. I'll change mine to one I took backstage at our last show," Blaine said as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. "But for now, why don't we go take a shower to warm up," he said low and suggestive.

Kurt bit his lower lip and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Showering with Blaine was Kurt new favorite pastime. There was something so incredibly erotic about having another man wash his body, and Blaine was very diligent. Blaine took such good care of him, his lathered hands scrubbing Kurt's chest while their eyes stayed locked. Kurt could feel himself getting hard and by the smirk on Blaine's face, he was too. As Blaine's hand traveled lower, Kurt couldn't help but look down. Watching Blaine touch him, seeing Blaine's hand wrap around his cock and slowly stroke him was the best part of all. Their lips met in a heated kiss, Blaine's arm snaking behind Kurt's back and down his ass. Kurt held onto Blaine's neck, his fingers interweaved into Blaine's curls. He tugged roughly, sucking on Blaine's lower lip and biting before releasing him. Blaine's eyes were dark with want, the golden amber captivating Kurt completely. Blaine walked them backwards to the shower bench. He took a seat but kept Kurt standing. Kurt watched with his jaw agape as Blaine kissed his torso and down the V of his abdomen. Blaine looked up through his lashes and took Kurt fully into his mouth.

"Fuck," Kurt muttered, his fingers running through Blaine's curls. "I could watch you suck me all damn day."

Blaine smirked as he pulled back. "I'm pretty sure you did that yesterday, sir," he said lowly and Kurt groaned. Blaine slid his hand in-between Kurt's thighs and nudged. "Open up for me, baby," he said sweetly and Kurt happily obliged. "Just like that," he said lowly. "Come closer," he instructed.

Kurt took a step closer, his legs on each side of Blaine but didn't sit down. Blaine inserted two fingers into his hole and took Kurt's cock into his mouth once more. Kurt moaned out with pleasure, his eyes glued on Blaine as his head bobbed back and forth. Blaine sucked him off slowly while he stretched him, but not once did Blaine hit that spot. Kurt danced on the edge but resisted every urge to orgasm. Blaine's mouth felt too good around him to let go just yet. Blaine pulled off of Kurt and without a word, Kurt was sitting on his lap, Blaine's throbbing erection penetrating Kurt's hole. Kurt rolled his hips slowly, Blaine's fingers digging into his thighs. Their foreheads were pressed together, their breathing labored as they moaned into each other's mouths.

Blaine kissed up Kurt's jawline, his lips sucking in Kurt's earlobe. "I could do this for hours," he spoke gruffly into Kurt's ear. "You on top of me, riding my cock like the good boy you are."

"Blaine," Kurt whispered, his eyes closed, his face pressed against Blaine's head.

"You're so responsive to my voice," Blaine continued, slowing down their movements. "I could make you cum just by talking, couldn't I?" Kurt nodded but said nothing, unable to produce the words. The slower Blaine went, the closer to the edge Kurt got. Kurt may be the one who becomes the master, but all it takes is for Blaine to talk to him while fucking and he becomes a puddle of goo. "You're so fucking sexy like this. You want it so bad but you don't want it to end do you?" Kurt shook his head vigorously. "What do you want from me, Kurt? You want me to fuck you harder?" Blaine bucked his hips hard and Kurt mewled, shaking his head no. "Or do you want it nice and slow? You want me to hold on to you and fuck you for hours, slowly and deliberately?" Kurt nodded, desperate to catch his breath. "That's what I thought. You love this torturously slow pace. You love to feel me inside you."

"So much, so fucking much," Kurt breathed out.

Blaine rotated his hips hard, moaning into Kurt's ear, his fingernails no doubt leaving claw marks. "Just wait until tonight. After I tell the world you're mine, I'm going to take you to bed and fuck you from behind so slow that you'll think you're losing your mind. I'll be inside you for hours, longer than we ever have before, and by the time I'm through with you, you won't be able to move."

With a final thrust of Blaine's hips, Kurt came hard, his body quivering from the release. Kurt grabbed Blaine's face and kissed him with fervor, bouncing up and down on Blaine's cock until Blaine came inside him. They didn't move right away, their hips moving to a gentle rhythm as their bodies came down from the orgasmic high.

Kurt finally lifted himself off Blaine but didn't move away. He ran his fingers through his hair, chuckling softly. "You are way too good at that?"

Blaine smirked, his thumb caressing the bottom of Kurt's back. "At what?" he asked entirely too innocently.

"Talking," Kurt said with a shaky breath. "I could listen to you talk all night."

Blaine kissed him sweetly, their noses brushing. "Remember that tonight when you're so desperate to cum but can't."

Kurt sucked in his lower lip and closed his eyes, moaning softly as Blaine's lips kissed his neck. "I can't wait."

They watched two movies after their shower, cooked dinner together, and then watched another two before calling it a night. They sat together on one of the couches in the closed in private patio and had both of their laptops open on the coffee table. They went through all the pictures they took earlier and chose two to share; one where Blaine was looking at Kurt while Kurt posed, and one of them during their snowball fight. They each signed into their twitter accounts and wrote the tweets but saved them in their drafts. They then responded to a few DM's while waiting for midnight.

"Are we going to sit through the riot or immediately log off?" Kurt asked as he sent KlainesArmy a message.

"Immediately logging off," Blaine answered easily. "Let them riot without us. We have better plans," he whispered the last part into Kurt's ear and Kurt blushed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Kurt said though his eyes were still on the computer screen. When Blaine didn't ask anything, Kurt turned to him. "What's up?"

Blaine reached for Kurt's face and caressed his cheek with his thumb. "I was just wondering, how many kids would you like to have?" he asked curiously. "We've been talking about our kids for the past few days but neither of us have yet to say how many."

"Um, I don't know. At least two," Kurt said and Blaine smiled. "How many do you want?"

"At least two, maybe three," Blaine told him. "I guess it'll depend on how hectic our lives become."

Kurt nodded with agreement. "I do have one request though," Blaine raised an inquiring brow. "I really want Quinn to be the biological mother of our first."

"Quinn? Really?" Blaine said in surprise. "Not Tana?"

"Oh god no!" Kurt said in horror with his hand over his heart. "I could not handle a combined mini me and Tana. But Q, despite all of her craziness and her drama, is really amazing. She's incredibly smart and has a much bigger heart than people give her credit for. Besides, she and I would make beautiful babies. Not that I've brought it up to her, but it's what I want."

"If that's what you want then ok, I'm on board," Blaine smiled. "I'd like to adopt our second and possibly third child though. There are a lot of kids out there in need of a good home, a good family, and we could provide that easily."

Kurt leaned forward and kissed Blaine softly. "That sounds like a plan."

The alarm on Blaine's phone went off and they jumped in surprise. It was officially one minute until midnight. They looked at each other with eager excitement. It was time. They curled up close, their heads resting on each other. They didn't look at the time again, not worried about counting down, but simply held each other and waited. When the fireworks went off behind them, they turned and kissed deeply, Blaine cupping Kurt's cheek.

"Happy New Year, Kurt," Blaine whispered against his lips.

"Happy New Year, Blaine."

Kurt rested his head back on Blaine's as Blaine went into the camera on his phone. He took a picture of them, the fireworks in the background and a soft smile on their lips. He signed into Twitter through his phone while Kurt sat up and grabbed his laptop.

"You ready?" Blaine asked him once the tweet was written.

Kurt looked over his shoulder and nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too," Blaine grinned.

He hit send on the tweet then quickly moved to his laptop.

WarblerBlaine : Happy New Year from us to you. [picture]

KurtHummel : *WarblerBlaine Today was perfect. I can't wait for our future together. [picture]

WarblerBlaine : *KurtHummel Our first family tradition will be to have massive snow fights. You better be prepared. [picture]

KurtHummel : *WarblerBlaine It's on, Anderson! ;-) Happy New Year my love. :-*

WarblerBlaine : *KurtHummel Happy New Year my darling. It's our first of many. :-*

A/N: Just a quick note. I like to track "A Lucky Man's Charm" on twitter in case any of you ever have anything to say about the chapter or fic in general. I've also been tweeting with the hashtag ALMC and the current chapter I'm working on if any of you would like to track that. For example, when I tweet about the next chapter it'll be hashtag ALMC26. This is an easy way for us all to communicate and for you to keep up with how I'm writing if you're interested.

I hope you all liked the chapter. See you soon. :)

OH! Also, I totally had Quinn being their first child's mother planned out months ago. Needless to say I flipped the hell out when I found out it was canon. I just really love Glee sometimes.

Warbler Family

A/N: Hello my darlings. Thank you all again for the love and support. You make my world a brighter place and I am forever grateful.

MuseInMe3, thank you for always knowing exactly where I go wrong.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

KurtsWife : OMG OMG OMG! HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL! KURT BABY I LOVE YOU!

Bitchesbelikewhoa : Holy shiz! Klaine came out! Is this real life?!

LezBionicEm : Oh dear Lord! They're so pretty! How are they so damn pretty?

KurtsWife : I CAN'T BREATHE! I'M DYING! OMG!

Niff5Eva : â â âno butâhow are they cuter than Niff? Like I don't understand.

Number1Warblerfan : Aw Klaine came out on New Year's! They're so cute!

BeckyJackson : I know that gayface! It's *Cheerio_Porcelain! He goes to my school!

StonerBrett : Yo! His Royal Highness is Blaine Anderson's soulmate? Awesome!

Cheerio_Sandbags : That's right bitches. My boy *Cheerio_Porcelain is *WarblerBlaine's soulmate. Bow down suckas!

KurtsWife : OMG I found his old account! He has all these pictures and he's a cheerleader and the captain and I justâ (falls off cliff into oblivion)

KurtsWife : I'm crying. The tears. They're real.

Britney was sitting in her living room mentally planning her sister's and her friend's demise when it happened. She felt her phone vibrate in her hand and with a tired sigh looked at her screen. She expected it to be Marley or Ryder, maybe even Jake to wish her a happy New Year. Excitement coursed through her when she saw it was a direct message from K. She didn't show her excitement though, not wanting Kitty or Bree to know her secret. They would surely ruin her friendship with K, even if it would never be more than a twitter friendship. Biting back a grin, she went into her messages.

HisLuckyCharm

Hey BrittyBrat. Happy New Year! I know it's been a while since we've spoken, I'm sorry about that. It's been crazy lately. I just wanted to let you know that Blaine and I will be announcing me tonight so be prepared for the riot. ;)

Britney stared at the message with wide eyes, unable to believe it. Moments later, Blaine tweeted a picture of them and her heart stopped. Blaine's soulmate was Kurt Hummel, the Kurt Hummel, McKinley High's most popular student. She'd seen him strut down the halls with the Unholy Trinity countless times. His name constantly fell out of her sister's mouth and not once was any of it good. He was royalty. Could it be true that the devil spawn Kitty always spoke of was the same sweet K that she had been talking to for months? How was any of this possible?

"Oh my God," Britney said with a shaky breath. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Kitty scoffed as she turned towards her sister while Bree rolled her eyes. "I let you have one beer and you're sick? You're such a lightweight. I don't know why I bother with you."

"Careful Britt Britt," Bree mocked. "You don't want us to tell your mommy and daddy the reason you're sick is because you snuck off to drink, do you?"

Britney paid them no attention, her mind reeling as Kurt and Blaine tweeted another picture. She placed her hand over her racing heart. This couldn't be happening.

"What the hell are you being so dramatic for?" Kitty drawled as she snatched the phone out of Britney's hand. She laughed condescendingly. "KlainesArmy? Seriously? That's your twitter handle? How much lamer can youâ" Kitty trailed off, her jaw dropping when she saw the tweets. "Bree, oh my God."

"What? What is it?" Bree quickly went to her side as Kitty showed her the picture. Bree's hand flew to her mouth. "Is thatâ"

Kitty nodded slowly. "His Royal Highness's soulmate is Blaine fucking Anderson!"

"We have to call Santana!" Bree shouted. Kitty tossed Britney her phone and ran after Bree towards her bedroom. Britney quickly retrieved it and inhaled sharply when she saw that Perez had posted his article. She clicked on the link with no hesitation.

The Definition of True Love Lies within Them

Romeo and Juliet. Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton. Snow White and Prince Charming. Whether fictional or real, these are all names of truly epic romances that have made us all yearn for that one person who holds our heart and soul. Amongst that list, if not the most epic of them all, are Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel.

Their story began one fateful day in 2001 where they unknowingly met in a hospital waiting room. Fourteen year old Blaine was being released after a two day stay due to an attack on him by fellow peers for going to The Sadie Hawkins dance with another boy. Seven year old Kurt was waiting for his mother to be released after a week of treatment for she was terminally ill with Leukemia. Blaine was broken, unwilling to accept that he was meant for greatness while Kurt was optimistic, holding on to hope that his mother would soon heal. Their encounter was brief but it saved Blaine's spirit and gave him the hope he needed to keep going.

"I was in a really dark place at the time," Blaine told me. "I was so young and had already been taught the lesson that the world can be very brutal. But then this little boy comes up to me and tells me not to be afraid, not to let the bad people get me down, and I was so moved by his courage that I promised myself I wouldn't give in, no matter what life threw at me. I will never forget that moment."

Fast forward four years and life had once again thrown a curveball, only this time, Blaine wasn't the only one who needed saving.

"My mom had died when I was 9 and it completely broke me," Kurt told me. "I lost my faith. I lost my spirit. I was living day to day wishing more than anything that I could make the pain in my heart stop. When I was 11, my dad took me to Goodale Park in hopes that the town's events would cheer me up but it didn't really work. I never really smiled anymore, I never laughed. After a long day of failed attempts at making me happy, we finally decided to leave. That's when I saw Blaine performing. I remember feeling so at peace simply because of his voice and for the first time since my mom passed, I felt truly happy. I knew the moment he sang to me that he was special, one of a kind. I promised him I'd be his biggest fan when he finally made it and I hold true to that today. Not to underestimate the adoration of his other fans, but I am and will always be his number one fan."

Blaine was struggling greatly at that time and once again it was Kurt's encouraging words that gave them the courage to hold on, to believe in himself. Had it not been for Kurt, Blaine might have given up and The Warblers would be nothing more than their Alma Mater's pride.

We all know Blaine as the swoon worthy soulful man with the honest heart. We see him as a man who is calm and collected, a man who is reserved. He's kind and quiet, and despite his honest nature, often keeps to himself. But we have yet to truly see Blaine as a soulmate, as someone who would do anything for their beloved. I had the pleasure of witnessing pieces of Blaine and Kurt's relationship and was admittedly shocked to see the usually soft spoken Blaine being so openly affectionate.

I assumed that Blaine would be the type to keep their tenderness behind closed doors. I was so very wrong. Just like when he takes the stage, Blaine is incredibly passionate towards Kurt. He teases him mercilessly just to see the blush creep up Kurt's cheeks. He looks at Kurt like he holds the answers to the universe and he treats him like a prince. There was even a moment right before The Warblers got ready to take the stage where I was privileged enough to see a kiss shared between them and the sparks that flew were enough to light up the entire planet. These two are truly something to marvel at and I cannot wait to see what these two have in store for the world.

Perez Hill

Britney shook her head in disbelief and tweeted a single tweet before calling Marley. She needed her best friend. She couldn't handle this.

KlainesArmy : What. Is. Happening?!

Kurt hummed softly with satisfaction. Blaine's lips were gently nipping at his neck and Kurt could only melt further into the mattress. "Blaine, we should get online."

Blaine shook his head. "Not leaving this bed," he muttered.

"Blaine," Kurt giggled and pushed Blaine away slightly. "We have to get online. We have to see the madness."

Blaine pouted and huffed. "Why? Britney and your friends can handle the fans."

"Because it's our duty," Kurt reminded him gently. "We can't just leave the fans to run rampant. Besides, my friends are handling the people I know, which leaves the rest of the fans to Britney. We cannot let a fifteen year old girl deal with all the crazy. We don't even have to be on very long, just for a few minutes to see how everything is going thus far."

"Fine," Blaine said with a sigh though there was a smirk on his lips. He reached over the bed to grab the laptop and iPad. "But if we're getting online then we're giving them another riot."

"I'm pretty sure we gave them enough of a riot last night, Blaine," Kurt chuckled as he sat up.

"And now we're going to make them riot even more," Blaine winked. He handed Kurt the iPad and sat up, leaning his back on the headboard. He placed the laptop on his knees and opened his picture file. "Let's see what picture I can tweet," he muttered more to himself. Kurt looked through the pictures with him, smiling softly at them. Blaine had them chronologically organized so it was like seeing their relationship from the beginning. It was beautiful. "How about this one?" Blaine suggested, pointing to the picture Santana had taken of them cuddled together on the bus.

Kurt nodded his approval. "That one's good," he said as he sat back.

Kurt and Blaine signed into their twitter accounts and were suddenly shocked. Kurt's jaw dropped when he saw that his follower count had gone up by several million and Blaine whistled at the number of direct messages he had in his inbox.

"We certainly started quite the uproar," Kurt said with caution. "I hope my family is ok."

"I'm sure they're fine," Blaine said though he too wondered how they were handling everything. "We'll call them as soon as we're done."

Kurt breathed deeply. "Alright. You ready?"

Blaine glanced over and smiled. "Let's do it," he said with a nod. He wrote out his first tweet but then paused. "Should I mention her or is that a bad idea?"

Kurt scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding? She'll love the attention. Do it."

WarblerBlaine: This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. Thank you *Cheerio_Sandbags for documenting such an amazing moment. [picture]

KurtHummel : *WarblerBlaine *Cheerio_Sandbags She is pretty fabulous.

KurtsWife : *KurtHummel KURT BABY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! YOU'RE SO BEAUTIFUL! MY LIFE IS COMPLETE!

PamLansburry : *WarblerBlaine *KurtHummel You guys are so cute. I can't with you.

RandleBrittney : *WarblerBlaine *KurtHummel THERE IS JUST SO MUCH PERFECTION! I CAN'T!

ToniGDivine : *WarblerBlaine *KurtHummel You're such a beautiful couple! I wish you all the happiness!

Cheerio_Sandbags : *KurtHummel *WarblerBlaine You bet your porcelain ass I'm fabulous.

"Britney hasn't tweeted since last night," Kurt noticed. "I hope she's ok."

"I'm sure she's just trying to process," Blaine assured him gently. "Perez's article is out too," he said and clicked the link. Together they read their story and by the end, neither could contain their wide grins.

Kurt glanced at Blaine with a slight blush. "I forget most times that he's more than just a gossip columnist but an actual writer. His article on us is really good."

Blaine matched his smile and set the iPad aside. He then grabbed the laptop, closed it, and set it on the floor. "Yes, it is," he agreed, pulling Kurt towards him. "Now, let's see if we can light the world with our unadulterated passion," he said wiggling his eyebrows.

Kurt chuckled and swung his leg over Blaine's lap. "Gladly," he purred and attached their lips in a searing kiss.

As the end of their vacation drew closer, their days became less about having sex and more about cuddling. They would spend hours wrapped in each other's arms simply talking or watching a movie. After they caused another riot on Twitter, they stayed away from social media and allowed themselves their final moments of peace. But sooner than they'd hoped, it was the end of the week and time to head home.

"I'm going to miss it out here," Kurt said as he zipped up his luggage.

Blaine smiled sadly. "Me too."

"I was thinking we could come back for our anniversary or something," Kurt suggested. "This place was really wonderful."

Blaine wrapped his around Kurt's waist and brought them close together. "Actually, I was thinking this could be our winter vacation spot. We can come back every New Year. We could even bring our families."

Kurt smiled brightly. "And one day, our kids."

Blaine nodded and leaned in. "And one day our kids," he repeated, leaving a peck on Kurt's nose. "Come on. We don't want to miss our flight."

Kurt sighed and turned to grab his bag, noticing his uncuffed wrist. "Uh, Blaine," he smirked and showing Blaine.

"Oh shit!" Blaine went into his luggage and pulled their cuffs out. "I got so used to not wearing it that I totally forgot."

"Me too," Kurt chuckled, watching Blaine as he opened the box.

He sucked in his lower lip as Blaine grabbed hold of his hand. Blaine looked up at Kurt through his lashes, a gentle smile in place, and clipped Kurt's black leather cuff. Kurt reached for Blaine's cuff and clipped it on, their hands intertwining between them.

"I love you," Kurt said, leaning his forehead on Blaine's.

Blaine inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. "I love you," he replied. He pressed his lips on Kurt's forehead and left a gentle kiss that held all of his promises. "Let's go." Kurt smiled at him, grabbed his bag, and together they left the privacy of the cabin.

Later that evening, Blaine and Kurt walked out of LAX hand in hand. They were met by hundreds of photographers and reporters who were desperate to see the newly announced couple. They could've taken the private jet had they wanted, but they chose not to. It was time the public saw them in all their glory. They smiled as the camera's flashed all around them and quickly got into the car that was waiting for them. By the time they made it to the Anderson household where more paparazzi were surely waiting, the entire world would know they were bonded.

Once the driver was safely away from the airport, both young men pulled out their cellphones and turned them on. Kurt's inbox was mostly filled with messages from either Santana or Finn griping about the other, one from his father, and several from his Cheerios freaking out, including Sue. He had been dreading her message, thinking that she would chew him out for not telling her. But instead the message was joyful and congratulatory. Kurt scoffed in surprise. He blamed Sue's recently happy nature on her pregnancy.

Blaine's inbox was full of fellow celebrities sending their congratulations and most importantly, one frantic message from David.

"Change of plans," Blaine said to the driver. "Take us to UCLA Medical Hospital."

"What? Why?" Kurt exclaimed, an excited grin gracing his face. "Did Katherine have the baby?"

"She went into labor last night," Blaine answered, his eyes on his phone. He reached Eric's contact number and dialed. "I don't know if she's had the baby yet though."

Kurt clapped giddily. "Oh my God! Yay!"

"Eric, hey," Blaine greeted anxiously. "Yeah, we're in the car on our way to the hospital now. How's Kat? Is she ok? Did she have the baby?" Blaine paused to listen to Eric, Kurt watching him eagerly. Blaine sighed with relief. "Great. We'll be there in about twenty minutes. Bye."

"Well?"

Blaine grinned from ear to ear. "Katherine had a beautiful healthy baby girl this morning. She was 9 pounds and 6 ounces."

"That's a big baby for her tiny body," Kurt laughed. "And the delivery went well?"

"It went perfectly," Blaine said. "Man, I can't wait to hold our niece."

"Our niece?" Kurt questioned. "Don't you mean your niece?"

Blaine draped his arm over Kurt's shoulder and smiled. "No, I mean our niece. You're going to be her Uncle Kurt. David said so himself." Kurt looked down with a slight blush. He truly was part of The Warbler family.

Blaine and Kurt rushed into the hospital, multiple gasps of surprise filling the hallways as they quickly made their way to Katherine's room. They didn't slow down until they reached her hallway which was heavily guarded. They greeted the bodyguards and headed to her room, knocking quietly before entering in case Katherine or the baby was asleep.

"There they are!" David said loudly, rushing to the door to greet them. "It's about damn time!"

Blaine chuckled and hugged David. "Here we are trying to be quiet and you're acting a fool."

"He's been acting a fool since last night," a tired Katherine said from the bed.

David waved his hand dismissively and reached out for Kurt. "Get over here, Hummel. Welcome to the family, officially."

Kurt smiled and hugged David. "Thanks. Congratulations Daddy Warbler."

David beamed with pride. "Thank you. It feels good to finally have her."

"Uh, excuse me, I'm the one who actually had her," Katherine cut in.

"Details," David shrugged.

Kurt and Blaine took turns leaning over Katherine's bed to hug her. "Where is the baby?" Kurt wondered.

"And where's everyone else?" Blaine asked. "I thought they'd be here."

"The doctor is finishing up some routine tests and everyone else went out to grab dinner," David told them. "They should be back soon."

"And Elena? Do we get to see her today?" Blaine wondered.

"You get to see her right now," said the nurse with a smile as she rolled Elena back in. "She's ready to go Mom and Dad. Healthy as can be."

David turned a smug grin on Katherine. "I told you that eating all the fruit was good for you."

Katherine raised an unimpressed brow. "Guess what, David? I ate nothing but taquitos, Tostinos pizza, and Burger King onion rings when you were gone."

David gasped dramatically. "How could you?"

"It was delicious, that's how. And I ain't about to apologize for it," Katherine smiled with victory.

David shook his head. "Unbelievable," he muttered, walking over to Elena. He picked her up and turned to Blaine. "You want to hold her?"

"Yes," Blaine answered instantly. He took a seat and held out his arm so that David could lay her down. He smiled at the sleeping baby, his heart melting. "She's beautiful," he breathed, his thumb gently rubbing her cheek.

David walked to Katherine's side and held her hand. "Just like her mama."

Kurt pursed his lips, tears filling his eyes. Watching Blaine hold Elena made his heart skip several beats. One day, it would be their baby that Blaine was holding.

"I need to take a picture," Kurt blurted out and quickly pulled his phone out. Blaine looked up with a soft smile as Kurt took the picture.

"Kurt, do you want to hold her?" Blaine asked.

"Oh no, I couldn't," Kurt shook his head.

"Go ahead, Kurt," Katherine encouraged.

"Yeah, man," David smiled. "She's gotta know her Uncle Kurt too."

Kurt smiled and nodded, taking a seat next to Blaine. He held his breath as Blaine placed Elena in his arms, exhaling slowly when Blaine pulled his arms away. "She really is just so beautiful," he said in a hushed tone. David and Katherine smiled proudly.

Blaine rested his chin on Kurt's shoulder and kissed his cheek. "You look amazing with a baby in your arms," he whispered.

Kurt glanced at him, a blush on his cheeks. "So do you."

"The newly bonded are here!" Jeff's voice broke the moment. "Freaking finally."

"How was the trip, guys?" Nick asked, walking in after Jeff.

"It was perfect," they both replied.

"Obviously," David drawled. "Just look at them! They're practically drooling over my baby!"

"It can't be as bad as Wes," Vanessa signed with a smirk. "He didn't want to give her up."

"This is true," Katherine nodded. "I almost felt like warning the nurses that you might try to steal her," she teased.

The room laughed and Wes rolled his eyes, though really, he knew they were right. From the moment Vanessa told him she was ready to start a family it was all he could think about. The tour couldn't be over quick enough.

"Where's Eric?" Blaine wondered.

"Dealing with the mob outside," Jeff smirked. "Apparently a certain newly bonded couple caused an uproar when they got here."

"Oops?" Blaine laughed. "It's not like we stopped to talk to anyone."

"No but a single tweet from a fan in the lobby was all it took," Eric's voice sounded from the door. "How was your trip?"

"Perfect," everyone but Kurt and Blaine answered, all making sickeningly sweet faces. Blaine stuck his tongue out while Kurt blushed under their gaze.

"Glad to hear to it," Eric smiled. "We should all head out though. The circus outside isn't going to settle down until we do and Katherine needs her rest."

"Oh! Before you go," David hurried to the door and called a nurse over. He handed her his phone and walked over to Katherine's bed. "Let's take a group picture first."

Kurt stood up and handed Katherine the baby while everyone crowded around her and David. They posed for the nurse to take a picture and began saying their goodbyes. David shut the door behind them and walked back to his wife, a proud smile on his lips. "Best day ever?"

Katherine smiled down at Elena. "Best day ever."

The Cheerios gathered together in the gymnasium, their hushed voices frantic. They all knew why they had been summoned. But despite the proof, they still couldn't believe that their captain's soulmate was Blaine Anderson. His Royal Highness already had the perfect life. He was Cheerios Captain, he was the most popular guy in school, and whether he was hated or adored, everyone worshipped the ground he walked on. How was it that he was lucky enough to have someone like Blaine Anderson as his soulmate? They couldn't understand but they all felt the same thing. Envy.

"Enough with the jabbering," Sue's voice rang out loud and firm. The Cheerios turned to their coach, Santana, Quinn, and Brittany as they walked into the gymnasium. "We're going to make this quick. I have a roast in the oven that I am not going to let burn because of you," Sue turned to Santana and gave her a nod. "Take it away, Sandbags."

Santana strutted to the front of the group with a smug grin with Quinn and Brittany by her side. She was going to enjoy this. "As you all may know now, Porcelain is Blaine Anderson's soulmate," the murmurs erupted instantly. Hearing Santana acknowledge it made it all that more real. Quinn raised her hand in the air and the talking stopped immediately. "Now," Santana continued, crossing her arms over her chest and starting to pace in front of the Cheerios. "I'm sure you're all wondering what that means for you. Well I'm here to tell you that it don't mean shit for you. Just because he's our captain does not mean that any of you have any kind of right to Blaine. Q, Britt, and I are his Unholy Trinity so we get special privileges."

"Obviously," Quinn drawled.

"And Sue made him who he is today, so she too will get all the perks."

"Not that I need them," Sue said. "My unborn baby's father is famous after all."

"But you?" Santana pointed her finger at the Cheerios. "You ain't gettin' squat unless Hummel says so and you're going to have to earn it."

"Exactly what kind of perks are we talking here?" Kitty asked with irritation.

"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" Santana snapped.

"If she even gets any perks," Quinn scoffed.

"Q's right," Brittany shrugged. "You're not very nice to Kurt and you're always trying to get him to fall from the pyramid. I don't think you deserve any privileges."

"You heard it here first, Kitty," Santana smirked. "And that goes for you too, Bree."

"Now," Quinn stepped forward and Santana stepped back next to Brittany. "The real reason you're all here is not for us to brag about the fact that we've known for months."

"Or the fact that we've met him," Santana said.

"Or the fact that we'll get to hang out with him when Kurt brings him home," Brittany smiled with excitement.

"We called you here because this changes everything," Quinn continued. "Once school starts and Hummel walks through those doors, everybody is going to want a piece of him and it is our job to protect him. He will have bodyguards provided by Blaine at first but he wants to be able to have a normal senior year. This is where we come in."

"If you see him in the hallway, drop everything you're doing and follow behind him," Santana instructed, coming up next to Quinn with Brittany. "We cannot allow the peasants of this school to get anywhere near His Royal Highness. From the moment he walks through that door, consider him your shepherd and you are his sheep."

"There are a lot of people at this school who would love to take advantage of the fact that Kurt's going to be in the public eye," Brittany said seriously. "Just because JBI is gone does not mean that his weasels won't try something. If you see or hear any of them trying to get ahold of the paparazzi, stop it immediately."

"And do not for a second leave him alone unless he tells you to," Quinn warned. "The Warblers' fans, more specifically Blaine's, are crazy. The last thing we want is for him to get kidnapped or hurt because of them."

"Are we clear?" Santana asked them.

"Yes," the Cheerios answered simultaneously.

"Good. Any questions?"

"Just one," Kitty spoke up.

Santana rolled her eyes. "What?"

"What are you going to do about her?" Kitty asked with a smug grin and pointed to the bleachers.

Santana turned and finally noticed Kitty's nerdy freshman sister sitting there. "Your sister? What about her?"

"Well you just said to keep the crazies away from Porcelain," Kitty drawled. "She's the number one crazy. She's the one behind the KlainesArmy account on twitter."

"If anyone is going to kidnap His Royal Highness, it's her," Bree said with distaste.

Britney scowled at her sister and Bree but said nothing. The Unholy Trinity glanced at each other with raised brows. "Come here," Quinn called her over. Britney gulped and walked toward Quinn, her heart racing. "You run KlainesArmy?"

"Y-yes," Britney squeaked.

"Prove it," Santana demanded. Without hesitation, Britney pulled her phone out, logged into Twitter, and showed them. Santana smiled, put her arm around Britney's shoulders and turned her to the front. "For those of you who don't know, this is Britney, Kitty's prettier and nicer sister. She's under Cheerios protection now."

"What?!" Kitty screeched. "But she's crazy! She's a damn stalker!"

"Am not!" Britney argued.

Santana shushed Britney softly. "It's ok honey. Don't listen to her. She's a bitter bitch," Kitty sent Santana daggers but said nothing. "Here's the deal. This girl right here, she's the captain of the social media Klaine ship and Kurt adores her. They've spoken many times before and if you think for a second he's not going to welcome her with open arms then you are a moron. She is under our protection now because Kurt would want nothing less. If we hear that any of you are trying to give her shit," she directed at Kitty and Bree, "there will be a price to pay. Got it?"

"Yes," the Cheerios responded.

"Yeah, yeah, got it," Kitty muttered.

"Good," Santana said way too sweetly. "Now get the hell outta here. I'm tired of looking at your sad depressing faces."

Santana turned to Quinn and Brittany and gave them a nod to walk off. She then pulled Britney aside to speak with her privately. "How long have you known that it was Kurt?" she asked.

"I found out like, a minute before they announced him I swear!" Britney said quickly.

"Relax," Santana laughed. "I believe you," Britney let out a sigh of relief. "Does he know who you are yet?"

Britney shook her head frantically. "N-no. I was g-going to tell him b-but I panicked. I don't want him to hate me like he does Kitty."

"He doesn't hate Kitty," Santana assured her. "He doesn't hate anybody. He's too good for that. He just likes to screw with her because it's funny," Britney offered a nervous smile but said nothing. "Look, I can tell him for you if you want."

"Would you?" Britney asked with wide eyes.

"Sure," Santana shrugged. "It might be better that he hears it from me anyway."

"Ok," Britney said a bit shakily. "T-thank you, for being so cool about it and stuff."

"No problem, Freshie," Santana smirked. "Anything to see that vein in Kitty's forehead pulse."

Hunter smiled at the pictures Wes sent him of David's baby late that Friday night. He was truly happy for his brother. Out of all the boys in their class, David was the one that always shared his desire to be a father. David would undoubtedly spoil his daughter and yet make her work for the things that mattered. He was going to be a great father.

Hunter couldn't help but notice Blaine and Kurt in one of the pictures. They looked so incredibly happy and Hunter knew it was more than them being happy for David and Katherine. It was because they were bonded and out in the open. Kurt seemed to be taking the media attention rather well and Hunter wondered how he would take to the sudden attention when Sebastian inevitably announced him. The thought admittedly made him smile a little but not because he wanted anything to do with Sebastian's fame; but because the idea of Sebastian being proud enough of him to tell the world was beautiful.

It wasn't until New Year's Eve that Hunter started to believe that it was possible.

It all began with Blaine's email. He read it and reread it, trying his hardest to hold on to his usual anger he felt towards Blaine, but to no avail. Maybe it was because of the talk he had with Wes or maybe it was because he was tired of being angry. But no matter what, he couldn't find it in him to be upset that Blaine emailed him about Sebastian. If anything, he was grateful. He constantly worried about his soulmate and knowing that Sebastian was at least trying to open up gave him a little bit of hope. And that spark of hope was apparently all Hunter needed to let go of the past. Yes, he still hurt. Yes, there was a part of him that still felt betrayed. But he was no longer blaming Sebastian and Blaine for their choices. He was no longer blaming Sebastian for their fallout. For once, Hunter accepted that he too was to blame.

He sat in his living room watching the countdown with a beer in hand, his heart not nearly as heavy as it normally was. Before the clock struck twelve, Hunter made himself a promise to try harder, to listen better. He swore that he would take life on as it came and that he would give Sebastian the chance he deserved. At midnight, he took a sip of his beer and whispered into the night, "Happy New Years, Sebastian. I'll wait for you," and that was when his phone rang.

"Hello?" Hunter answered unsurely.

"Hey Hunter," a groggy Sebastian greeted. "Happy New Year."

Hunter's jaw dropped, unable to believe it. "Happy New Year," he replied. "What um, what are you doing up so early? Isn't it like five in the morning over there?"

Sebastian yawned and Hunter couldn't help but find it endearing. "Yeah it is. I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep so I thought I'd call you," Hunter couldn't contain his grin if he tried. "It sounds quiet over there. You didn't go anywhere?"

"No," Hunter answered immediately. "I don't really have anywhere to go."

Sebastian was quiet for a moment and Hunter wondered if he had fallen asleep. But then he spoke and the tone in his voice made Hunter's heart race in a way it hadn't in years. "Maybe next year you'll have somewhere special to go."

"Yeah," Hunter whispered. "Maybe."

"I should go," Sebastian said. "I have a few hours before I need to be on set and a tired actor is never good."

"Right, yeah. Ok," Hunter breathed. "Thank you for calling."

"Of course," Sebastian spoke softly.

"Do you think that maybe IâI could call you sometime?" Hunter knew it was a bold move but he was desperate to talk to Sebastian more.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Sebastian said gruffly and Hunter wondered if Sebastian was crying. "But you can text me, if you want."

"Ok, yeah," Hunter said entirely too enthusiastically. "I can do that."

"Alright. I'll talk to you later. Bye Hunter."

Hunter had been elated and that small spark of hope grew. He had yet to text Sebastian but the fact that he could meant the world to him. Maybe, just maybe, they weren't lost after all.

A/N: I hope you liked it. See ya next time. :)

Back In Ohio

A/N: Hello my darlings. Thank you once again for the constant love and support. It means the world to me.

Life hit me really hard this week and writing this chapter was very therapeutic for a lot of reasons. I drowned myself in these words and I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter.

MuseInMe3, thank you for being so indescribably amazing. GleekMom, thank you for being my rock.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

Kurt held his breath as the driver turned onto his street, his eyes wide with panic. The sidewalks were littered with people waiting for them; fans with signs professing their undying love for Blaine, kids from school wearing shocked faces, local paparazzi with their camera's ready, and neighbors pretending to check the mail or attend to their lawns. Kurt had known what to expect. He had known that his house would become a circus and they were the main act. But actually witnessing the madness so close to home made him anxious. How in the hell was he going to survive school?

Kurt felt a gentle squeeze on his thigh and he turned to Blaine, a shaky breath escaping his lips. "Are you ok?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," Kurt nodded though his voice cracked. "Just a little overwhelmed I guess," he said, looking back outside to see groups of people running towards his house. Their windows were tinted so no one could see them, but everyone knew it was them. Why else would an all-black high class Escalade be driving down their street? "It's different in California. No one knows me there. But here? Seeing all this when I've known these people all my life is a lot to take in."

"I felt the same way the first time we visited Westerville for that wedding," Blaine shared. "It's very surreal to see the people you know act like this."

Kurt took a slow deep breath and nodded. Surreal was an understatement.

The driver slowed down and came to stop once he reached the Hudmel home. The driveway was blocked off and there were five bodyguards waiting for them. Kurt and Blaine could hear the chants and screams from the fans outside as they gathered around the barricades.

"You ready?" Blaine asked.

"As I'll ever be," Kurt sighed.

Blaine smiled softly, giving the driver a nod that they were ready. The moment the driver opened his door, the screams intensified tenfold. He walked to the back of the car and unloaded Kurt's and Blaine's luggage before walking to the passenger side. Kurt stepped out first, smiling at the crowd while they hollered out for him. Blaine followed and the screams turned desperate. Blaine waved and gave them all a toothy charming smile. Together they grabbed their suitcases and walked up the driveway hand in hand. Once they reached the porch, Blaine stopped and turned to them.

"Hey everyone," Blaine shouted. "If you would please give me a little while to get settled, I'll gladly come out to sign autographs and take pictures," the screams in response were deafening. "But after that, I would greatly appreciate it if you all went on your way. It's been a long day and we would really like to get some rest. How does that sound?" The crowd cheered and Blaine smiled. "Thank you!" he waved again and turned to Kurt. "Hopefully that will settle things down."

Kurt nodded with an exhale. "Hopefully."

They walked inside and for the first time in days, Kurt felt himself relax.

"Welcome home," Burt said from the hallway, pulling Kurt in for a hug.

Kurt smiled and hugged his father. "Thanks, Dad. It's nice to be home."

Burt let go of Kurt and turned to Blaine. "Come here, son," he smiled. Blaine smiled back and wrapped his arms around Burt in a warm embrace. "Glad to have you back."

"It's good to be back," Blaine said as they parted. "Sorry about all the craziness outside.

Burt waved him off. "It was worse the day you announced Kurt. The phone rang so much I had to disconnect it from the wall," he chuckled though it was completely true. "Go on and get settled. Carole and Finn will be home soon with dinner. We thought about going to Breadstix but we knew we wouldn't get any peace so they picked it up instead."

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt sighed with relief. "All I want to do is lie in bed and not move for the rest of the day," he said, making his way to his room.

"We have traveled a lot the past couple of days," Blaine nodded and followed. "I'll go out to the fans after we eat and you can stay in if you like. Maybe we can watch a movie after?"

Kurt hummed with appreciation, picturing Blaine and he cuddled up with his comforter. "Sounds perfect."

Shortly after dinner, Blaine made his way outside to greet the fans. His announcement that he would sign autographs and take photos must have been passed around because there were twice as many people waiting for him. He didn't mind it too much. He just hoped it didn't become a constant thing. He was going to have to talk to Eric about adding a little more security detail until things settled down.

Kurt watched Blaine from the kitchen window with a smile and cup of cocoa in hand. He loved this side of Blaine, the charismatic superstar who would do anything for his fans. Blaine had once told him that he didn't want Kurt to ignore the famous performer side of him because it was part of who he is, and he couldn't have been more right. Blaine had two personas; the one Kurt and his family were privileged to see, and the performer who charmed the crowd. Kurt was in love with both parts and he would proudly stand by Blaine's side as he signed autographs for the rest of their lives.

"How long do you think he'll be out there?"

Kurt turned to the sound of his father's voice. "Knowing Blaine, probably a while," he smirked. "He will sign every single piece of paper and pose with every single fan before he comes in, guaranteed."

Burt offered a crooked smile. "That soulmate of yours is something else."

Kurt took a sip of his cocoa and sighed happily. "He really is."

Burt sideways glanced at his son. Seeing Kurt happy was the best feeling in the world. He hated that he would have to put a damper on it but he made a promise to his late wife that he needed to keep, no matter how much it may hurt him to do so. "Come here. I have something for you," Burt nodded at Kurt to follow him. Kurt raised a questioning brow but allowed his father to lead him into his home office. Burt grabbed a key from the jar sitting on his desk and opened a drawer. "I've been waiting to give you this," he handed Kurt an envelope that was addressed to him. "It's from your mom. She wrote it before she passed away with the instructions not to give it to you until you've bonded."

Kurt set his cocoa down and held the letter with both hands. "Mom wrote this for me?" he asked just above a whisper.

"Mhm," Burt nodded, walking around the desk. He placed a gentle hand on Kurt's shoulder. "She would've been real proud of you kiddo. I know I certainly am."

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt smiled softly though his eyes were glued to the envelope.

"I'll leave you alone."

Burt walked out of his office and closed the door behind him. Kurt walked to his father's chair and took a seat. With a shaky hand, he carefully ripped the envelope open and began to read it, tears already pooling in his eyes.

My Dearest Kurt,

If you're reading this letter it means that you are now a bonded man. I may not be there to hold you in my arms, but know that I am so very proud of you. Being bonded with your truest love is the most wonderful feeling in the world. I remember when your father and I bonded I was certain that nothing would ever make me happier than I was at the very moment.

I was wrong.

The day I learned I was pregnant with you was my happiest moment. And again when you took your first steps, when you spoke your first word, when you first told you me you loved me. I have a lifetime worth of happiest moments because of you and I will cherish them forever.

I pray that my passing hasn't been too hard on you my son. I've had my time to come to terms with my end, and although it is so much harder now that I have you, I always knew this day would come. I pray that you've found the strength to keep going, to never stop fighting. You are stronger than you know Kurt, I promise you. Do not ever doubt yourself for you will become one of the greats, I'm certain of it.

Cherish the time you have with your family and your soulmate. Love your soulmate with your entire being and remember that no one is perfect. There will be moments where you will be upset with them, where you will want to scream and storm out. It is ok to do so. But never let your differences come between you. Never let your anger simmer for too long. Remember that Fate has chosen this for you because you are more than capable of handling whatever life throws your way together. Love them Kurt, love them deeply, because they will be the most important person in your life.

I love you my dearest Kurt, more than you could possibly know. Thank you for giving me new life and for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my greatest desire, because loving you will always be my biggest accomplishment. Thank you for being my lucky charm.

Love Always,

Mommy

Kurt brought the letter to his chest, his heart aching deeply, and cried for his mother in a way he hadn't in years.

An hour later, an exhausted Blaine entered Kurt's room ready for a shower and a movie. But the sight in front of him shook him to the core. Kurt was wrapped in his blanket like a cocoon crying so quietly that Blaine could barely make out the whimpers.

"Kurt?" Blaine whispered, cautiously sitting down on the bed. Kurt didn't even glance up at him. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? What happened?"

Kurt sniffled. "My mom," he spoke shakily. "She wrote me this letter."

Kurt's hand appeared from underneath the blanket with the folded up letter. Blaine took it gingerly, his heart breaking for his beloved as he read it. "Oh Kurt," he said softly.

"It's not fair!" Kurt suddenly exploded. "She was supposed to be here! She was supposed to raise me and be with me when I needed her! She was supposed to know you and see us be happy! It's not fair!"

"Kurt," Blaine reached out for him but Kurt pulled away.

"No!" Kurt shouted, angry tears streaming down his face. "She wasn't supposed to die! She was supposed to have this life full of happiness and love and instead she spent her days slowly deteriorating in the hospital!"

"Baby," Blaine tired but it only angered Kurt more.

"And you! Why haven't you spoken to your dad or at least tried?" Blaine pulled back a little as if he'd just been slapped. "I know that you have problems with him and I know that there's a part of you that's angry with him even though you always say you aren't. But I also know that you miss him even though you don't want to admit it. I know that you wish more than anything that you could have a relationship with him, like I do with my dad. And I just can't understand why you won't try! He's your father, Blaine! And one day he's going to be gone and you'll regret not talking to him!" Kurt took a breath and noticed the pained look on Blaine's face. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," he cried, throwing his arms around Blaine's neck. Blaine took a deep breath and embraced Kurt. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just so mad because she's not here and she was supposed to be here! She was supposed to be here."

Blaine pulled Kurt to sit on his lap and swayed him, his own tears falling. "It's ok, love. It's going to be ok."

"It's just not fair," Kurt sobbed quietly. "It's not fair."

"You're right, it's not. But it's life, Kurt. Life is never fair," Kurt said nothing, his head snuggling into the crook of Blaine's neck. "And you're right about my father."

"Blaine-"

"Shh," Blaine cut him off. "You had your turn to talk; now it's mine," Kurt lifted his head to look at Blaine. "I am still angry with him and I do miss him. I should talk to him but I'm scared. I'm scared of being rejected all over again only this time it'll somehow be worse. But it's not an excuse to ignore the longing in my heart. It's not an excuse to act as if he doesn't exist because one day he won't and I will regret not trying harder."

Kurt looked away with guilt. "I shouldn't have brought him up, Blaine. I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Blaine assured him. He chose not to be upset with Kurt despite the painful reminder because everything Kurt said was true. He knew that Kurt tended to say things he didn't mean when he was emotional and he refused to fault him for it. "I understand why you did. Your time with your mother was limited and here I am with all the time in the world and I'm wasting it. I'm not upset with you though, I promise."

Kurt nodded and wiped tears away. "I just miss her so much. It's been so long since I've really thought of her and I've been so happy lately that I almost forgot she was gone. Reading her letter brought everything back and now I feel so guilty because I'm so happy and she's not here to see it."

"She wouldn't want you to feel that way, Kurt. You have to know that," Blaine said and Kurt nodded. "It's ok to be happy and to live your life. It's what she would've wanted. And it's ok to miss her still, to cry for her. It's ok to have moments where all you want to do is imagine what life would be like had she still been around. It doesn't make you weak, it makes you human. But never forget that she loved you deeply and that she would've wanted nothing but the best for you."

"I know," Kurt sniffled. "I just miss her so much."

"I know baby, I know," Blaine comforted. "How about we skip the movie tonight and simply cuddle?" he suggested. "You can tell me all your happiest moments with your mom. Or we don't have to talk at all. We can go to sleep if you like."

"Let's just go to sleep," Kurt mumbled. "I'm too tired to deal with any of this right now."

Blaine nodded with understanding and gently pushed Kurt off his lap. Blaine forwent his shower and changed into his pajama bottoms, side eyeing Kurt in case he broke down again. Kurt was silent though as he changed clothes, his head too wrapped up in memories. They slipped under the sheets together and Kurt rested his head on Blaine's chest, his arms wrapping around Blaine's torso. Blaine smiled down at him, embracing Kurt in his arms and kissing the top of his head.

"Will you sing to me?" Kurt's voice was nothing but a whisper.

"Of course, my love. Any requests?" Blaine wondered.

"Something Good from The Sound of Music?" Kurt asked him. "My mom used to sing it all the time. It was her favorite song."

Blaine nodded against his head, kissing him gently before softly singing.

Perhaps I had a wicked childhood

Perhaps I had a miserable youth

But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past

There must have been a moment of truth

For here you are, standing there, loving me

Whether or not you should

So somewhere in my youth or childhood

I must have done something good

Kurt snuggled closer to Blaine, tears welling up in his eyes all over again. He could still clearly see his mother dancing in the living room with him in her arms, singing the song with as much loveliness as Maria. He could still remember his father standing against the entryway with his hands in his pocket watching them with adoration. He could still feel the sadness in his heart from the times she told him she would sing to him later because she was too tired. And yet, despite the heartache and the wish that his mother was still around, being in Blaine's arms, listening to him sing her favorite song, brought an ease to his soul that made the tears stop.

"I love you, always and forever."

Blaine stopped singing and looked down at his love. "I love you too," he whispered. "Always and forever."

Blaine and Kurt were up early the next morning and although they had an emotional evening, Kurt was in high spirits. He had accepted long ago that his mom wouldn't be around to watch him grow into the man he was becoming. Her letter had simply opened an old wound that Kurt knew would never heal and the need to mourn her all over again had been overwhelming.

But today was a new day and he couldn't allow himself to cry for her anymore, at least not yet. He would visit her later in the week and undoubtedly cry all over again. Today however, today was the first Cheerios practice of the New Year and Blaine was coming along with him. Whatever sadness he felt the night before was on the back burner and replaced by excitement. He couldn't wait to show Blaine off to his team.

"Blaine, you ready to go?" Kurt asked with a final spray to his hair. "The girls will be here any minute."

"I'm ready." Kurt turned his head and his jaw dropped, his eyes hungrily taking in Blaine's outfit of choice. He was wearing tight red pants, a fitted black polo, a white knitted belt, and a black, white, red, and gray striped bowtie. Kurt was certain that he was drooling. "I thought I would wear your school colors. Do you like it?" Blaine asked with a spin.

"Do I like it?" Kurt questioned with a raised brow. He walked to Blaine and placed a single finger on his chest. He ran his finger down, pushing back gently so that Blaine stepped backward towards the bed. "I love it," Kurt purred. "You look incredibly sexy."

"Yeah?"

Kurt bit his lower lip and nodded. "Oh yeah," he pushed Blaine back on the bed and straddled him. Kurt placed his hands on Blaine's shoulder, laid him down and started kissing him with fervor. Blaine attempted to get out of Kurt's grasp for only a second before giving in completely, his arms wrapping around Kurt's waist and their hips gyrating against each other.

Santana opened the door without knocking, not in the least bit surprised to find Kurt and Blaine in their current position. "You can suck face later, Hummel. We gotta go. Q's waiting outside. We're taking your car."

Kurt pulled back long enough to breathlessly mutter, "In a minute, Satan." He attached his lips to Blaine's neck and sucked hard, his teeth scraping Blaine's skin.

"Kurt," Blaine meant to sound like he was protesting but it came out like a moan. He knew that Santana was standing a few feet away watching them but he couldn't bring himself out of the Kurt induced haze he was suddenly in.

Santana stood by the door with her hands on her hips waiting. She wasn't sure if Blaine knew what Kurt was doing but she certainly did so she waited patiently, knowing that Kurt wouldn't detach himself until he was satisfied.

After several minutes, Kurt unsealed his lips and sat up. He smiled proudly at the giant hickey on Blaine's neck. "Did you really think that I was going to let you walk into a gymnasium full of fangirls looking like that without marking what's mine?"

Blaine looked at him questioningly, his hand flying up to his neck. He smirked with amusement. "I'm pretty sure that's what our cuffs are for."

Kurt shrugged uncaringly. "This was more fun," he winked. He swung his leg over Blaine, got up, and straightened out his uniform. "Let's go. We're running behind already."

"I wonder whose fault that is," Santana said sarcastically. She took in Blaine's outfit as he stood up and nodded her approval. "You look smoking hot in that, Anderson."

Blaine looked down at his outfit with a raised brow. He didn't think he looked that good. "Should I change? I don't want to bring any unnecessary attention while you guys are trying to practice."

"No!" Kurt and Santana shouted simultaneously.

"You look perfect, babe," Kurt said, straightening out Blaine's bowtie. "Trust me. The girls, and most importantly Sue, are going to love that you wore this."

Santana waited until Kurt was parking the car to tell him about Britney. The SUV with three bodyguards parked next to him. "Oh by the way," she started nonchalantly. "I keep forgetting to tell you that Kitty's little sister is the fan who runs KlainesArmy on twitter."

Kurt whipped his head around. "What? No way!"

"Mhm," Santana nodded. "We found out a few days ago. She's going to be here today and probably freaking the hell out. But not because of Blaine, because of you."

Kurt cursed under his breath. "She probably thinks I'm some bitch with the way Kitty talks about me."

"Who's Kitty?" Blaine asked, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"A sophomore who thinks she can take me down," Kurt rolled his eyes. "But it's whatever; I'm not worried about her. I am worried about Britney though," he said with an eye on the bodyguards who were surveying the area. "I actually really like this girl. She's sweet. I don't want her to fear me."

"That's what we told her," Quinn said. "I'm sure Kitty's been filling her head with bullshit though."

"Alright," Kurt sighed. "I'll just have to make sure to be extra nice to her."

"Kitty's going to love that," Quinn said with an almost evil smirk.

The bodyguards nodded at Kurt and Blaine that it was clear. They all got out of Kurt's car and hurried inside. Kurt told Jeremy, the biggest of the bodyguards, where the entrance door to the gym from inside the school was and he quickly headed that way to block it off. The other two body guards stood by the entrance that led outside.

Kurt, Blaine, Santana, and Quinn were the last to arrive to practice and their entrance was nothing short of dramatic. Santana and Quinn entered first, both wearing smug grins as they walked over to Brittany. Kurt and Blaine followed and the silence surrounding them was deafening. Kurt smiled smugly at the Cheerios that never liked him. It felt good being on top.

"Porcelain," Sue smiled with pride. "My beautiful Porcelain. I'm so happy you're here," she said, grabbing his face and squeezing his cheeks. "It's been way too long since I've seen this face."

Kurt grunted as she pulled away. "What kind of happy drugs do they have you on?" he asked.

Sue merely laughed. "Oh Porcelain, you always know how to make me laugh," Kurt looked at his girls with a raised brow as if to say, Seriously, what the hell has Sue been smoking lately? The girls shrugged. Sue turned to Blaine with a wide smile. "And you must be Blaine, my beautiful Porcelain's soulmate." Before Blaine could answer, Sue was grabbing his face and kissing him. Kurt bit back a laugh at Blaine's horrified face. "Thank you so much for being here and for wearing our colors with such pride," her voice cracked. "It's just so wonderful to see someone of your caliber in my humble home," Sue let out a hushed cry. "Excuse me a moment."

Kurt crossed his arms and shook his head as Sue walked out of the gym. "I think her doctor needs to reduce her hormones."

"No shit," Santana said from the other side of him. "She's weird as hell like this."

"So, she's not normally like this?" Blaine asked them.

"Not at all," Kurt scoffed. "Old Sue would have us dying from running laps right now." Kurt turned to his team and smirked. "Well, since practice has been postponed for the moment," he strut forward and Blaine followed. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce my soulmate, Blaine Anderson."

The Cheerios said hi quietly and Blaine smiled charmingly. "Hello there ladies," he greeted the girls then turned to the other two boy cheerleaders, "gentlemen. Thank you for having me."

The Cheerios muttered that it was no problem at all. Kurt snorted with amusement at his speechless teammates. "Alright, where is she? Where's Britney Wilde?"

"Over here," Britney squeaked from the behind the Cheerios. "H-hi."

Kurt smiled brightly at her. "Hi! Don't be shy, get over here!" Britney hurried to his side. "I cannot tell you how excited I am that you're here!"

Britney's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Of course!" Kurt assured her. "You're the captain of our ship after all," Britney blushed a crimson red as Kurt put his arm around her. "Britney, meet Blaine."

"H-hi."

"Hey," Blaine smiled.

"Brit, do you think you could keep Blaine company on the bleachers while we practice?"

"Absolutely!" Britney squealed. "Yes, totally. I can totally do that."

"Awesome. Now why don't you two sit over here," Kurt guided them to the front of the bleachers, "and enjoy the show," he winked. He kissed Blaine chastely then ran over to his team.

Blaine looked at the shell shocked young girl and grinned. "Have you seen them perform?"

It took Britney a minute to grasp the fact that her idol was talking to her and when she did, she nodded frantically. "Yeah," she said enthusiastically. "They're amazing! State Champs and everything you know! His Royal Highness, I mean Kurt, and his girls, The Unholy Trinity, are like super incredible," she rambled.

"That's what Kurt told me but I figured he was biased," Blaine said, hoping that his relaxed attitude would calm Britney down. "Which one is your sister?"

"That one," Britney pointed Kitty out. "The one scowling at Santana."

"I get the feeling that a lot of people are usually scowling at Santana, or Kurt for that matter," Blaine joked.

"They are," Britney said then panicked. "But it's not like everyone hates them or anything!" she backtracked. "People are just really jealous because I mean, look at them. They're flawless."

"Popularity comes with a price," Blaine half shrugged. "It's the same with being famous."

Britney nodded wordlessly. She was certain she was dreaming and would wake up at any given moment. There was no way in hell she was actually sitting next to Blaine Anderson.

"Alright you lazy fake tanning slackers!" Sue's voice rang out harshly. "Enough with the flailings and the wishing that you could be home watching some pathetic Lifetime movie about some sad little girl whose unrealistic expectations come true. Get in your places, NOW!"

Blaine turned to Britney while the Cheerios scattered. "She seems to be quite the character," he muttered.

"She scares me," Britney whispered back.

"Anderson!" Blaine turned to Sue with a raised brow. "Pay attention to your love buns. He's going to win me my seventh consecutive championship."

Blaine turned toward Kurt and smirked at the look of pure determination on his face. Without another thought, he pulled out his phone and took a picture to tweet later. The fans were going to love seeing Kurt in his natural element.

Blaine, Kurt, Santana, Quinn, and Brittany walked into a packed Hudmel home. The New Directions had been waiting all day for Cheerios practice to be over so they could finally meet Blaine. Kurt had expected his friends to be excited but he hadn't anticipated just how excited. Tina all but fainted in Mike's arms after releasing a high pitched scream. Sam and Artie bombarded him with questions before they even entered the living room. Mercedes hid behind her hands in order to stop herself from squealing like a maniac. Zizes hit Puck on the arm multiple times, muttering holy shit over and over again. And Puck simply stared with wide eyes. Kurt couldn't be certain but he was pretty sure that Puck had stopped breathing altogether.

Once the initial excitement wore off, the New Directions allowed them to take a seat on the couch before surrounding them. Blaine answered question after question, most having to do with the tour or what being famous was like. But then there were questions like Sam's that made absolutely no sense.

"So you're like way into superheroes right?" Sam asked continuing before Blaine could answer. "Cause I've always wondered, what if Batman was actually bitten by a vampire."

Blaine scrunched his brows, glancing at Kurt and then the rest of the New Directions who were all wearing the same, is he serious, face. Brittany was watching Blaine with an expectant look as if she too needed to know the answer. Blaine smiled at the blonds. "You know, that's a really good question. I'm sure there has to be fanfiction out there about it, right?"

"Dude, totally!" Sam exclaimed. "I should look that up."

The one person who didn't say a single word was Puck. He sat in the back of the group eyeing Blaine with disbelief. Never in his life did he think that he would ever be so close to Blaine and instead of excitement, he was anxious and unsure. How was he supposed to tell Blaine how much his music had affected him? How was he supposed to even talk to Blaine without seeming like a total idiot? Blaine was more than a rockstar, more than a legend. He was a myth and Puck was a mere mortal. There was no way in hell he could ever actually talk to Blaine.

"Puckerman!"

Puck looked at Kurt, his jaw unknowingly wide open. "Huh?"

"Why the hell are you staring at my soulmate?" Kurt asked with a hint of aggravation.

"And close your damn mouth. If you drool any more we're going to have an Olympic size pool in here," Santana said.

"Iâwhatâ" Puck shut his mouth and glared at his friends. "Screw you guys!" he shouted before storming off.

Kurt turned to Lauren with confusion. "What the hell was that Zizes?"

"Don't worry about him. It's complicated," Lauren answered dismissively though she knew exactly why Puck was acting that way. She thought about going after him but she knew he would be mad at her for it. She could already hear him bitching at her for following him out. They're going to think something's wrong with me, he would yell at her, He's going to think I'm fucking weird! She would talk to him about his inability to accept that he was just as awesome as Blaine Anderson later.

It wasn't until midway through the week that Blaine had the chance to be alone in his studio. The last few days had been filled with meeting family members, spending time with Kurt's friends, and a few trips to the cemetery. Blaine truly didn't mind. He loved that he was able to get to know this side of Kurt's life. But he knew that taking time apart was good for them so when Kurt asked if he minded staying home while the girls and he went to the mall, he jumped at the chance.

He played with the equipment for a little while and tested the soundboard before pulling out his laptop. He hadn't checked his email since they got back, out of fear that writing Hunter would somehow bite him in the ass. He wasn't surprised to find that Hunter had replied. He opened the email warily.

Blaine,

I'll admit that I was more than a little surprised by your email but I appreciated it. I spend an awful amount of time worrying about how Sebastian is doing. I'm genuinely happy that you've been able to talk with him, even if only for a short period of time. I think he's starting to open up to me, or at least trying to, and I know that talking to you is the reason why.

I'm not mad. I know that you and Sebastian have a close relationship, one that I won't truly understand until I know the whole truth of your time together. But I have accepted that you are and will always be a big part of his life. I've accepted that just like I need Wes to be my guide, Sebastian needs you. I need you to know that I no longer blame you for what happened in the past. Sebastian and my problems are our own, and although I don't know what happened or the whys, I know that you were there for him when he needed you most. For that I can only thank you.

I miss him too, more and more every single day. I'm not giving up on him, I can promise you that. We've spent too long living in the past. I've spent too much effort blaming you two without knowing the entire story. I'm done pushing him away. I will be here when he's ready. I will wait forever for him.

I don't know when you're leaving for tour again, but I would like to see you before you go. We could have dinner at my place if you like. Or we could meet at Dalton. Whichever you prefer. I just want to talk face to face. We were friends once; I'd like to be friends again.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Your Brother,

Hunter

Blaine was smiling so hard he was sure he looked like a madman. He replied with zero hesitation.

Hunter,

There are too many things I want to say to you that cannot be transcribed properly through email. Just know that I am always your friend. Always.

I would love to come over for dinner. I won't be leaving until after Valentine's Day so we have plenty of time to have dinner, coffee, visit at Dalton; all of it. Let me know when you're available and I will be there.

Your Brother,

Blaine

Blaine grabbed his cellphone and went into his messages. With Kurt gone, it was the perfect time to finally talk with Sebastian.

To Sebastian Smythe:

Are you available to Skype? I miss you man.

Blaine sent the text with an exhale. They'd been texting the past few days but that didn't mean Sebastian was ready to open up. He only had to wait about a minute before Sebastian Skyped him though. "Hey Seb," he greeted with a relieved smile. "Are you busy or can you talk?"

"Hey B," Sebastian smiled back. "I'm free for the night so we can talk," Blaine smiled broadly, Sebastian's soft tone giving him hope for the conversation ahead. "Where are you?" he asked looking past Blaine. "I thought you were at Kurt's."

"I am. This is my attic studio. His family built it for me as a Christmas gift," Blaine told him.

Sebastian nodded his approval. "That was very cool of them," he said. "So, how ya been? How's Ohio?"

Blaine half shrugged. "It's Ohio," he said dryly. "But I'm good. Kurt's family has been amazing. I um, I do have to tell you something though."

Sebastian recognized the look in Blaine's eyes and raised a brow. "B, why do you look guilty?"

Blaine shifted in his seat. Sebastian may be the easiest person to tell but that didn't mean his best friend wouldn't be pissed at his betrayal. He didn't even want to think about what the guys were going to say. "Ok, don't get mad at me," he said cautiously. "ButâI may have cost The Warblers Nationals."

Sebastian's face dropped. "You what?"

Blaine cringed at Sebastian's tone. "I may have cost The Warblers Nationals?" he said as a question.

"How?"

"Well, you see, Kurt and I were talking last night," Blaine started nervously, looking away from Sebastian's judgmental eyes. He was in deep shit and he knew it, "and he kinda tricked me, and I sorta maybe told him that The Warblers would lose if the New Directions gave him the solo," he rushed out.

Sebastian didn't answer right away, waiting for Blaine to look up. When Blaine finally made eye contact with him, Blaine all but whimpered. "Let me get this straight," Sebastian said slowly and Blaine whined to himself. He may have underestimated how angry Sebastian would be. "You told Kurt that if he sang the solo, The Warblers would lose?"

Blaine gulped. "Yes."

Sebastian chuckled humorlessly. "You told Kurt, that if he, the flawless counter tenor, sang the solo, The Warblers would lose?"

Blaine bit his lip and nodded. "Yes."

"Are you out of your freaking mind?!" Sebastian yelled suddenly though a smirk played at his lips. He wasn't at all surprised. He could at least have some fun with it though. "How could you tell him that?! Blaine!"

"I know, I know."

"Do you?" Sebastian snapped. "You totally screwed The Warblers, B! There hasn't been a counter tenor at Dalton in I don't even know how many centuries! How could you do that?!"

"I'm sorry," Blaine said quietly. "I didn't mean to. He just does this thing with his mouth and he looks at me with these eyes and I'm just so weak, so very weak. Please don't hate me."

"Oh I don't hate you. You're a complete traitor, but I don't hate you," Sebastian shook his head with disbelief. "Wes on the other hand or Hunter, you better get into witness protection."

"You're not going to tell them are you?" Blaine asked wide eyed. "I mean, I'll have to tell the guys when we're back on tour but please don't tell Hunter. We're trying to be friends and if you tell him then he's never going to talk to me."

Sebastian sat back in his seat. "You and Hunter are trying to be friends?" he asked just above a whisper, Blaine's traitorous ways completely forgotten.

"Umâyeah," Blaine said hesitantly. He hadn't meant to tell Sebastian that but he didn't want to hide it either. "We've emailed a couple of times and we're trying to be friends again."

"You've been emailing him? For how long? When?"

"Just recently," Blaine told him. "I actually replied to an email before I text you."

Sebastian took a deep breath. "What did he have to say?"

"That he misses you," Blaine answered honestly. "That he'll wait until you're ready," Sebastian looked away, a small smile on his lips. "Have you talked to him lately?"

Sebastian half shrugged. "Kind of. We've been texting."

"Oh?"

Sebastian nodded. "It's never about anything important, just movie stuff and Dalton."

"That stuff is important though, Seb," Blaine spoke softly. "That's you two getting to know each other again. It's a step in the right direction." Sebastian said nothing, looking off into the distance. "Are you going to tell me what happened that made you avoid me?" Blaine asked hopefully. "Or why you chose to move to London a month before you were needed?"

Sebastian sighed and rolled his eyes. "There's justâso much on my mind, B. I can't make heads or tails of it."

"Then talk to me," Blaine encouraged. "Tell me everything. Hell I'll even write you a damn song like when we were at Dalton." Sebastian chuckled softly. When they were younger, Blaine would take Sebastian's jumbled up mess of a mind and turn it into a song. He even wrote songs to help them study. Blaine had always been an incredible lyricist. "Just talk to me. Please."

Sebastian nodded, running his hands through his hair. "I guess I should start with admitting that I was drinking again."

"Oh, Seb."

"It's fine, I'm fine," Sebastian cut Blaine off. "I'm not anymore. I had been for a few months but I stopped afterâafter I gave Hunter an ultimatum."

"You gave him an ultimatum?" Blaine questioned. "Is that when the emotional transfer happened?"

"You figured that part out, huh?" Blaine shrugged with a nod. "Well yeah, that's when it happened. It was a couple of weeks after you found Kurt. I was so jealous that you were happy while I was still completely miserable so I emailed him, asked him to come with me or we were done and he chose to stay in Ohio." Blaine's heart broke for Sebastian. "I drowned my sorrows in whiskey that night and then when I woke up, I was numb. I didn't feel anything."

"Sebastian, I'm so sorry. I never should've thrown Kurt in your face like that," Blaine said.

"First of all, you didn't throw Kurt in my face. You simply shared your good news and that's fine. Second, don't ever be sorry for being happy, Blaine. You deserve to be," Sebastian assured him.

"Yeah well, so do you," Blaine reminded him.

Sebastian shrugged. "That's still to be seen. But anyway, after that, I don't know, I felt like everything was crumbling underneath me and yet, I didn't care. I even had a moment where I contemplated turning this role down, contract be damned."

"Sebastian."

"But I couldn't do it," Sebastian continued. "I couldn't look at myself in the mirror knowing that I had given up like my father, I just couldn't. So I packed my shit and left. I had hoped that being in London would refresh my soul or something but nothing, B. Yeah, I'm playing my part and I'm busting my ass over here, but I feel nothing. Every once in a while I get small waves of emotions but that's it. I'm so numb to the world around me. It's unreal. And you know," Sebastian laughed bitterly. "Those few months where I was drinking again, I drank and drank, praying that I would go numb, that I could just forget about Hunter and drink his memory away but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't drink him away. So when this happened, when the pain finally stopped, I thought, 'Fucking finally! I can breathe for a moment! I can stop thinking about him and move on with my life.' But B, it's so much worse now."

"How do you mean?"

"I'm never not thinking about him," Sebastian confessed. "He is always in the back of my mind. I stare at the pictures of us I took years ago and think about how different it all would have been if we had tried harder. I think about him so much more now that I don't feel pain. It's maddening! I even sang the other day, aloud and completely open, just so that I could feel something! How did he do this? How did he go so many years feeling so empty?"

"I don't know. But you know what? He's been asking himself how you dealt with the pain for so long," Blaine shared. "He told me so the day we went to Dalton. He's miserable right now and all he can think about is how you handled it."

"Is it bad that I'm kind of glad he's in pain?" Sebastian wondered. "It is isn't it? I should at least feel sorry that he's going through that because I know; I know how bad it feels. But instead I'm happy that he's finally in pain after so many years of ignoring me. I'm such a bastard."

"You're not."

"I am," Sebastian argued. "And I've accepted that I'm an awful person for being even remotely happy that he's a mess. But at the same time, I would take the pain in my heart over this emptiness any day. I would trade emotions again just so that he didn't have to feel what I felt; just so that I didn't feel so goddamn empty and bitter. I hate this, B. I hate myself for this." A tear ran down Sebastian's cheek and he groaned in aggravation. "And this!" he yelled wiping the tear away. "I keep having these moments where I all I do is cry but I feel nothing. No pain. No remorse. Nothing. I don't want to do this anymore! I just want to feel again. I want to love and to hurt again. I want Hunter." Sebastian whispered the last sentence, as if admitting it aloud would trigger his emotions. It didn't. "I don't know what to do, B. I'm so wrapped up in this movie that for the most part, I can ignore it all. But I don't want to be like this forever. I don't want Hunter to go through the pain I went through. I don't want him to lose himself like I did."

"I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better, Seb, but I really don't," Blaine said regrettably.

"I didn't expect you to," Sebastian said. "But I needed to get that out. I needed you to know what was in my head."

"Do you think that maybe you need to let Hunter know?" Blaine suggested. "Until you two talk, really talk, nothing's going to get better. You may fight and yell and curse each other, but maybe this time you'll stick it out until the end. Maybe then you'll both be able to move on, together."

"I don't know. Maybe," Sebastian shrugged. "I still love him, ya know. Even now that I'm numb, my love for him hasn't gone away. It's just muted."

Blaine smiled gently. "Of course you still love him. He's your soulmate, Sebastian. You're always going to love him."

"Yeah, I guess I will," Sebastian said more to himself. He knew though, that he would always love Hunter. He knew that no matter what, there would never be anyone else in the world that would make him feel like Hunter. He just hoped they would finally get their chance at happiness.

"SMYTHE! OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!"

Sebastian turned his head with confusion. "B, let me call you back. I think I'm in trouble."

"What did you do?" Blaine asked with concern.

"SMYTHE!"

Sebastian turned to Blaine and shrugged. "I have no idea. I'll call you back."

Blaine nodded and ended the call. He drummed his fingers on his keyboard for a moment before grabbing his new notebook and jotting down the lyrics that were fresh in his mind. Maybe writing Sebastian a song wasn't a bad idea after all.

Sebastian got up from his seat and opened his trailer door cautiously. "Hey, what's going on?"

Stephen stormed into his trailer angrily. "What's going on is that your damn dog is terrorizing this lot!"

Sebastian rolled his eyes. The white dog he'd seen the night they went out had somehow snuck past the security. No matter how many times they kicked him out, he'd find a way back in and was wreaking havoc everywhere he went. Everywhere but one place; Sebastian's trailer.

"For the hundredth time he is not my dog," Sebastian grumbled. He looked past Stephen through the open door to see the dog sitting at the end of his steps.

"Well he sure seems to think he's your dog," Stephen quipped. "He's running amok all over the costumes, he's pissing and shitting at the edge of everyone's trailer but yours, and if you don't do something about it, I'm going to kill him."

"You can't kill him. He's just a dog," Sebastian defended.

Stephen huffed and walked out of the trailer. He picked the dog up, brought him inside, and handed him to Sebastian. "Then figure something out."

"Why me?" Sebastian grumbled.

"Because your trailer is the only one he hasn't shit on and because when he's done terrorizing the place for the day, he comes to your steps to sleep," Stephen told him. "Congrats, Smythe. You officially have a new dog."

Sebastian sighed as Stephen walked out of his trailer and slammed the door shut. He set the dog down and walked to his small couch, the dog following close behind. "What do you want from me puppy? I'm not a good owner. I can't keep you. Don't you have anywhere to go?" The dog jumped on the couch next to Sebastian and rested his head on Sebastian's thigh. "Are you serious right now?" Sebastian pet the dog, feeling the softness of his fur. The dog looked up at him. "Well, you were someone's dog. You're clean and you don't seem to be sick. Isn't there someone missing you? Someone you miss?" the dog barked at him and laid his head back down.

Sebastian exhaled. "I guess I'm stuck with you, huh?" the dog jumped off his lap and sat at his feet, his tail wagging excitedly. "What do I call you? Poncho?" the dog tilted its head. "No? How about Rocky? Or Baelfire?" the dog half growled half barked and Sebastian smirked. "Don't like those either? Ok then. How aboutâParrish?" the dog sat straighter, its tail wagging wildly. "Parrish? Do you like that? Is that your name?" Parrish jumped up on Sebastian and started licking his face. "Alright, alright. Parrish it is. Get off me." Parrish jumped off with ease. "Well someone certainly trained you," Parrish barked at him. Sebastian ran his hands through his hair and sighed. What had he gotten himself into?

An hour and a text to Blaine explaining what happened later, Sebastian was sitting on the couch laughing as Parrish played on his lap. He never considered himself too much of an animal person but the energetic dog seemed to bring the kid out in him.

"Yo, Sebby," Windsor's voice carried through his trailer.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "I told you not to call me that," he said in a thick New England accent.

"Yeah well I told you to quit making fun of the way I talk and yet, here we are," Windsor snipped. "We're going out to dinner. You wanna join?"

Sebastian shrugged. "Not tonight. Parrish and I are having a little too much fun. Besides, I don't trust him alone in here yet." Parrish barked at him and he smirked, scratching behind Parrish's ears.

"Parrish, huh? Like Hunter?"

Sebastian whipped his head up. "What?" he breathed out.

"Hunter Parrish," Windsor clarified with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, right," Sebastian looked away and shook his head. "I didn't think anyone would get that, least of all you," he joked though his heart was hammering in his chest.

"Of course I know who Hunter Parirsh is," Windsor scoffed in offense. "I'm not uncultured swine."

"Right, sorry," Sebastian muttered.

"Alright well, you have fun with your new puppy," Windsor shrugged. "Later."

Sebastian waved dismissively. He hadn't been thinking too much when he was trying to come with a name and the connection hadn't dawned on him until his costar mentioned it. Had he really named the dog Parrish after the actor simply because he shared the same first name? He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to think it was merely a coincidence. But he knew that when it came to his Hunter, nothing was ever a coincidence.

He picked Parrish up and placed him on his lap. He laid back on the side of the couch, pulled out his phone, and took a picture. He stared at it for only a moment before attaching it to a message and texting Hunter.

To Hunter:

So I guess I have a dog now.

Parrish climbed up Sebastian's chest and laid his head down. Sebastian smiled. Maybe having a dog wouldn't be a bad thing.

From Hunter:

You got a dog? I didn't know you were a dog person.

Sebastian smirked and replied.

To Hunter:

I'm not. Or at least I didn't think I was. This little guy has been terrorizing everyone on set except me. Apparently that makes him my dog.

From Hunter:

Are you going to try to find his owner?

To Hunter:

Yeah I guess I should. I won't lie though. I kinda hope no one claims him. I like having him around. I named him Parrish.

From Hunter:

He is a cute dog. Maybe you'll get lucky and be able to keep him for good. I like that name.

Sebastian smiled, taking a deep slow breath. Texting Hunter was getting easier. The tiny waves of joy that came from every reply made Sebastian crave Hunter's attention more and more each day. Maybe it was time to make a move, even if it was a small one.

To Hunter:

I'm going to be real honest here, Hunter. I'm not ready to talk to you yet. I'm not ready to open up that wound. But I do like this. I like texting you. I'd really like to keep it up. Don't feel like you need to wait for me to text. You can message me whenever about whatever random thing your students are doing. I'd really like it if we could get to know each other again.

Sebastian exhaled slowly as he hit send. His heart beat erratically and the fear of being turned away was incredibly real. Hunter text him back almost instantly.

From Hunter:

Yes. I'd love to get to know you, really get to know you. That's where we screwed up last time.

I miss you Bas.

Sebastian laughed a bit manically at the replies, the tears streaming down his face without him noticing.

To Hunter:

I miss you too Hunter. Thank you for giving me time.

From Hunter:

Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere.

A/N: I have posted the picture Sebastian and Parrish on my twitter and tumblr (it's a picture of Grant and Jett). Don't forget that I now track the ALMC tags on twitter so I'll be checking ALMC27 and ALMC28 for any comments or concerns you may have. I hope you liked this update. See ya next time. :)

Settling Back In

A/N: Hello my amazingly patient readers. I'm so sorry for the delay on this update. For those of you who don't follow me on twitter or tumblr, the reason for the late update is that my mom has recently had open heart surgery and I've been the one taking care of her at home. She's doing well but my writing has taken a bit of a back seat. No worries, I'm still working on this fic. I promise I won't be abandoning it. Thank you for all the love and support. It means the world to me.

MuseInMe3, you're simply spectacular.

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the imagination behind this plot.

Blaine was writing away in his notebook when Kurt ascended into the attic. He poked his head inside but didn't enter, opting to watch Blaine instead. Kurt had no idea what new song Blaine was working on but his focused face was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. Not wanting to interrupt, Kurt started to make his way back down.

"You don't have to leave. I'm just about done," Blaine called out to him.

"How did you know I was here?" Kurt asked walking up the steps.

"I tend to create this sort of bubble when I write," Blaine said as he closed his notebook with the pencil inside. "I can always tell when someone pops it."

Kurt gasped, placing his hand over his heart. "I popped your bubble?" he pouted though a smirk played at his lips.

Blaine sucked in his lower lip, grabbed Kurt by the hips, and sat him down on his lap. "Oh yes. You popped it hard," he purred. He grabbed Kurt by the shirt collar and crashed their lips together. Kurt deepened the kiss, moaning softly as Blaine's hand rubbed his thigh. He pulled back and exhaled slowly. He was having one of those moments where he couldn't grasp the fact that Blaine was truly meant to be his. "How was the mall?"

A flash of something Blaine couldn't quite distinguish ran across Kurt's face for only a split second. "It was fine," Kurt said though Blaine could tell he was lying. "We mostly walked around but it was nice spending time with my girls."

Blaine narrowed his eyes a bit, taking in Kurt's forced smile and tense shoulders. "What happened?" he questioned. "And please don't lie to me about it. I know something's wrong."

Kurt's shoulders slumped. He knew he wouldn't have been able to get away with not telling Blaine. "Nothing bad," he assured Blaine. "Not exactly. We might've had to hide for a little while though. But only because JBI's rats were all over us! The fans that saw us said hi and followed us for a little while but they were surprisingly respectful."

"JBI's rats? I thought we took care of the JBI problem?"

"We did," Kurt said quickly. "It's just the AV club people. They kept trying to get in my face about how it's my fault that JBI was taken to that clinic. They're his weasels but they're completely harmless," Blaine nodded unconvinced. "Trust me, everything's fine. How was your day? What were you working on when I came up?" Kurt deflected.

Blaine hummed an exhale. "Kurt, I need you to be honest with me, please. How bad was it?"

"Honestly, it wasn't that bad," Kurt promised. "The reporters that saw us will probably make it into something worse than it is but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle."

"Then why were you being so evasive?"

"Because I don't want you to worry about me," Kurt snapped though it sounded more like a whine. "Blaine, once you're gone, we're going to have to be able to handle whatever is thrown at us. I'm going to have to be able to deal with the paparazzi and over eccentric fans. I've told you before; I need to be able to protect myself. You just have to give me the chance."

Blaine smiled gently, lifting his hand to Kurt's cheek to caress. "You're right. I'm sorry. But you have to tell me when something happens, even if it's miniscule, even if you've handled it. I don't want to find some over dramatized story in the news and then panic that something has happened."

"I know. I'm sorry too. I just hate to worry you." Kurt leaned in and kissed Blaine sweetly. "How was your day? What were you working on when I came up?" he asked again with a smirk.

Blaine chuckled. "My day was great actually," he smiled. "I got to talk to Sebastian for a while and he finally opened up to me. I was working on a song for him."

"You were writing Sebastian a song?"

"Mhm," Blaine nodded. "Seb's always had a very complex thought process and more often than not, he can't make heads or tails of things. When we were at Dalton, I used to take his jumbled up mess of a mind and write songs for him. I even wrote songs for him to study with, especially for Chemistry," he smiled at the memory. "Science and Math was never really his thing. But anyway, he's doing great with the movie and all, but his head and his emotions are kind of a mess. I'm hoping the song will bring him some clarity."

"Could I hear it when it's done? Or would it be too personal?" Kurt wondered.

Blaine thought about it for only a moment before nodding. "I'll play it for you when it's done. I doubt Sebastian will mind. What Sebastian did mind, however," he pouted, "is the fact that you tricked me into telling you how to beat The Warblers."

"I did no such thing," Kurt denied feigning offense.

"Oh yes you did," Blaine argued. "You know that I cannot resist when you do that thing with your tongue and you used it against me! I'm a traitor and it's entirely your fault!"

Kurt smiled deviously. He grabbed Blaine's face and turned it to its side. He leaned forward and lapped his tongue over a spot on Blaine's neck that drove him wild. Blaine hadn't even known he had that spot until a few days prior. "You mean right here?" Kurt whispered sultrily.

"Mean, so mean," Blaine muttered, unable to resist tilting his head further to give Kurt better access. "You know I can't even think straight when you do that," he said desperate for Kurt to continue.

"I know," Kurt said smugly. He pulled away and giggled at Blaine's whine. "I didn't get you into too much trouble did I?"

Blaine turned a playful glare at him. "Oh yeah, I'm in deep shit because of you. Wes is going to castrate me when he finds out."

Kurt pouted, his eyes wide with innocence. "I'm sorry sweetheart. Is there any way that I can make it up to you?" he asked. Blaine bit his lower lip but didn't say a word. "You know, we have the house to ourselves."

"Do we now?" Blaine asked lowly.

Kurt nodded. "Dad and Carole went over to the Berry's house for dinner and Rachel's dads like to sing show tunes after eating. They'll be there for hours."

"Well in that case," Blaine said, pushing Kurt off of him and standing up. "We have yet to break this futon in," he led Kurt to the futon, taking a seat first and guiding Kurt to straddle him.

"Why, Mr. Anderson," Kurt spoke sweetly. "Are you suggesting that we fornicate on the furniture my family bought for you?"

Blaine nodded, crashing their lips together in a quick but heated kiss. He pulled away and licked up Kurt's jawline, his teeth nipping at Kurt's earlobe. "Undress for me," he whispered hotly. "Slowly."

"Yes, Mr. Anderson," Kurt said with innocence and wide doe eyes. Blaine bit his lip and watched Kurt strip for him. He may call Kurt sir when the tables are turned, but he was Mr. Anderson and nothing quite turned him on like the way Kurt played innocent. "Like this, Mr. Anderson?" Kurt asked shyly, his shirt slipping over his head.

"Just like that," Blaine answered lowly. He kept his eyes on Kurt and undressed, lifting his ass to remove his pants and boxers. He beckoned Kurt with his finger and pointed to the floor. Kurt got on his knees and settled in-between Blaine's legs. "Such a good boy," he stroked Kurt's cheek, his hand traveling to the back of Kurt's head. He gripped Kurt's hair and tugged lightly. "Show me what that pretty mouth of yours can do."

"Of course, Mr. Anderson," Kurt nodded eagerly. "I can't fail this course. I need all the extra credit I can get." Kurt gingerly lifted Blaine's throbbing erection and licked the underside. "Like this? Or maybe more like this?" he took Blaine's cock into his mouth and screwed his head around.

"Fuck," Blaine threw his head back, his eyes closed and a satisfied smirk on his lips. "Just like that, baby."

Kurt's head bobbed up and down, alternating between humming and playing with Blaine's balls. He pulled back and looked up at Blaine through his lashes. "Will you let me pass now, Mr. Anderson?"

Blaine sucked in a breath and looked at him. He shook his head. "Oh no. This will get you a passing grade on the test, but not the course."

"What else can I do?"

"Get up," Kurt was on his feet instantly. "Turn around and bend over."

Kurt obliged, his hands holding onto his thigh and sticking his ass in the air. Blaine kneaded his ass cheeks before parting them and licking Kurt's puckered hole.

"Mr. Anderson," Kurt groaned, looking behind to watch Blaine.

They tried rimming only once at the cabin and Kurt had nearly exploded with want. He watched as best he could as Blaine's tongue dove inside him, his ass clenching with pleasure. Blaine pulled back and inserted two fingers to finish stretching him, their eyes meeting. Kurt was panting and Blaine took great pleasure in watching him squirm.

"Come sit on my lap, baby," Blaine instructed. "You've been such a good student. I think it's time for you to have your final exam."

"Yes, Mr. Anderson," Kurt breathed, placing his legs on each side of Blaine. He allowed Blaine to guide him down, groaning as Blaine filled him entirely. "Oh, Mr. Anderson, I think this is the best lesson I've ever had."

Blaine gripped onto Kurt's thighs and bucked his hips up. Kurt threw his head back and gasped. "Ride me, Kurt," Blaine enunciated the T. "Show me how hard you can work."

Kurt's ass bounced up and down on Blaine's cock, his legs squeezing Blaine's. Blaine bucked his hips up against Kurt, picking up speed as they grew closer to the edge. Blaine let go of Kurt's thighs, placing one hand around the back of Kurt's neck and wrapping the other around Kurt's leaking cock. Kurt's breathy moans intensified. Blaine pulled Kurt's face forward and kissed him hard, their sounds of pleasure vibrating inside them and through them. Blaine felt Kurt clench around him and pumped harder. Kurt mewled into his mouth as he came but Blaine didn't let go. He bucked his hips harder, faster, pulling Kurt's hair until he came hard. Their movements slowed down but neither pulled back right away. Their hips came to a stop but their mouths continued to kiss with ferocity. When Kurt finally detached himself from Blaine, he let out a shaky breath. Their breathing was labored, their lips swollen.

Kurt rest his forehead on top of Blaine's and chuckled, lifting him just enough to pull Blaine out and then sat back down. "Did I pass?" he asked with a smirk.

Blaine laughed and nodded. "With flying colors," he pulled his head back to look at Kurt. "I want a house with a secret room attached to our bedroom."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah," Blaine confirmed. "It'll be our sex room. We'll have everything for my role play needs and everything for your domineering needs all ready for us. And on the nights when we make love, we'll open the blinds on the sunroof so that we can fuck under the stars."

"Our bedroom has a sunroof now?" Kurt asked amused.

"Definitely," Blaine smiled.

"You know, the more and more we discuss our perfect house, the more I think it doesn't exist," Kurt pointed out.

"It's fine if it doesn't. In fact, I prefer that it didn't. We'll buy some land and build our perfect house."

Kurt leaned forward and brushed their noses, a happy sigh escaping his lips. "I like the sound of that."

Later that night Blaine was curled up on Kurt's chest watching a movie that he had absolutely zero interest in. His thoughts were too wrapped up in his parents, mainly his father. He'd been avoiding it since Kurt brought it up but as he lay there now, Kurt's fingers playing with his curls the way his mother used to, he couldn't help but wonder. What would he do if something happened to the man who raised him? How would he feel? Would he be sad or relieved? Would his father's final words to him be kind or would they be full of anger and disappointment? Blaine hated to think that even on his death bed his father would show him discontent. His mother often told him that his father loved him but he simply didn't know how to show it. Maybe it was time he made an effort and stopped living in the past. His father certainly wasn't going to make the first move.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Blaine looked up to see Kurt watching him. With a soft sigh, he snuggled his head further into Kurt's chest. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Long enough to know that the absolute last thing you care about is this movie," Kurt said with a slight tease. "What's on your mind?"

Blaine didn't answer right away and Kurt didn't push him. He waited until Blaine was ready and continued to play with his loose curls. When Blaine finally spoke, it was nothing but a whisper.

"I think it's time I spoke to my dad."

Kurt's hand stopped moving. "Is this because of what I said the other day?" he asked, his voice laced with guilt.

Blaine sat up and scooted back to rest on the headboard. Kurt turned the TV off with the remote and sat back with him. "Yes and no," Blaine admitted. "You got me thinking about it but none of what you said was untrue so please don't feel guilty," Kurt offered a small smile and nodded. "I keep thinking, what if something happens to him or what if we never talk again? I keep asking myself how I would feel if he was gone for good and would he still hate me on his death bed."

Kurt reached for Blaine's hand to hold. "Oh honey."

"And I can't do it," Blaine continued with a humorless laugh. "I can't keep living not knowing. I can't keep going on with my life wondering what if, and I don't think I can live with myself if something were to happen to him. He may be a bastard but he's still my father. I'm not a child anymore. I can't keep hiding from him."

"What are you going to do?"

Blaine took a deep breath as he made his decision. "I'm going to go see him. Before I leave on tour, I'm going to go see my dad. For the first time in years, I'm going home."

Kurt smiled softly. "I'm proud of you for wanting to fix things. I can go with you if you like."

Blaine shook his head. "This is something I need to do on my own. Don't get me wrong, I'm kind of terrified. I'm sure talking to him will be the equivalent to getting my teeth pulled without Novocain," he joked lightly. "But I need to do this. I know there's a good chance that it'll be a complete disaster but I can't go on without at least trying."

"Whatever the outcome, I'll be here waiting for you."

Blaine leaned forward and kissed Kurt softly. "Thank you. I love you."

Kurt kissed him again, their noses brushing. "I love you too."

A gentle knock on the door grabbed their attention. "Boys, we're home," Carole said with an exhausted smile.

"Did you have fun at dinner?" Kurt asked with a knowing smirk.

Carole chuckled lightly. "That's one way to put it. We brought ice cream. Are you in the mood for some sundaes?"

Blaine immediately perked up. "Are there any nuts?"

"Nuts, cherries, caramel and chocolate syrup," Carole smiled.

"I'm in," Blaine said already getting out of bed.

Kurt followed. "Dad's not getting any is he?"

"You bet your ass I am!" Kurt heard his father yell from the end of the hall followed by his retreating footsteps.

"Dad!" Kurt hollered out for him. "Don't even think about it!"

Saturday before school started back up, Kurt and the Glee club girls had a sleepover at Santana's house while the boys slept over at his house and hung out with Blaine. They were supposed to be discussing songs for Nationals but one suggestive comment from Quinn led to one from Santana and before he knew it, the girls were drilling him about his sex life with Blaine.

"I know you, Hummel," Santana hollered over the ruckus. "You're probably into all kinds of kinky shit; whips, chains, handcuffs. Don't try telling me you two don't be getting all nasty."

"You into BDSM, Hummel?" Zizes asked, Kurt's face flushing a deep red. "Damn, I bet you get all into it too, leather corsets and everything."

"Blaine probably sings as he cums," Quinn chimed, the giggles around the room growing louder.

"Alright, enough!" Kurt yelled from the behind the pillow he was using to cover his face. "We are not talking about my sex life!" he said firmly though he wore a smirk.

"Just tell us one thing," Tina begged. "In all the years that you imagined being with Blaine, how much better is the reality?"

A seductive smile graced Kurt's face, flashbacks of their time in the studio running through his mind. His reality was a thousand times better than his old fantasy.

Santana whistled. "Damn, Kurt. If that isn't the most telling smile," she teased.

Kurt threw the pillow at her. "Leave me alone, Satan," he grumbled. "And no more talk about Blaine," he directed at the others. "We're supposed to be coming up with song ideas, not talking about my sex life."

"Kurt's right," Rachel said with a nod. "We need to figure out the best approach for Nationals," she turned to Kurt expectantly. "Did you talk to Blaine about The Warblers?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did and while getting him to tell me the best way to beat them was fun, I also feel really bad. I made him betray his friends' trust. When the guys find out, especially Wes, Blaine's going to be in deep shit."

Rachel raised her hands in surrender. "All I did was merely suggest that you ask him for advice. I never once told you to use your new found sexual prowess to get him to tell you all their secrets."

Kurt scowled at her. She was right. It had been his idea to seduce Blaine for information. Rachel had even told him that he was taking it too far. But he was determined to beat Dalton Academy so he played a little dirty.

"So, what did you find out?" Mercedes asked.

"According to Blaine," Kurt started cautiously. The girls would either believe his soulmate to tell the truth or they would think Blaine tricked him. "The fact that I'm a true countertenor gives us a major advantage. Dalton hasn't had a countertenor in forever. He thinks we'll have a really good shot at winning if I sing the solo."

The room was quiet for a moment, the girls glancing at each other questioningly. "You sure he isn't just setting you up?" Santana asked what they were all thinking though in her heart she knew that Blaine would never play Kurt.

"I'm positive," Kurt assured them. They all looked at Rachel, as if waiting for her to explode. "Rach?"

Rachel didn't explode however. Instead she reminded herself of her New Year's resolution; to let the others shine, to let them have the opportunity to be stars even if they weren't meant to be one. But more importantly, to try her best to be a better friend to Kurt. Out of everyone in Glee club, Kurt was the one Rachel related to most, he was the one she so desperately wanted a relationship with. She knew that his Unholy Trinity would fall in line after him and eventually the rest of the girls would follow. This was her chance to show them that she could be a team player, and just maybe, she could finally have friends to truly rely on.

"I think that's a great idea," Rachel finally said, all eyes on her widening with shock. "You're our secret weapon, Kurt. The Warblers wouldn't know what hit them," she turned to Santana. "Our second song could be an all-girl number and then maybe our last song could be a duet with me and Finn and the rest of New Directions as backup?"

Santana crossed her arms, admittedly impressed by Rachel's plan. "That's actually not a bad idea, Berry," Rachel smiled with pride. "One problem though. Mr. Schue is not going to be down with giving Kurt the solo."

"Well he's just going to have to be," Rachel shrugged uncaringly. "I love Mr. Schue, he's been a wonderful mentor," the girls and Kurt rolled their eyes. Mr. Schue was an awful mentor and they all knew it, "but he can be a little short minded. I'm sure once we explain to him why Kurt is our perfect choice, he'll be totally on board." They all looked at each other unconvinced but Rachel simply smiled. She was certain that Mr. Schue would understand.

Puck sat on the couch furthest away from Blaine and watched the guys interact with him, his heart heavy with envy. He wished that he had the balls to talk to his idol, because yes, Blaine Anderson was his idol. He wished he could find the words to express to Blaine exactly how much his music helped him growing up. But he didn't even have the nerve to say hi and it sucked. While his friends were getting to know Blaine, all he could do was awkwardly stare and he hated it.

"Tell them about how Kurt totally whooped your ass last night, B!" Finn exclaimed with a mouthful of food. Puck scowled. He hated his best friend for being comfortable enough to call Blaine B.

Blaine shook his head and groaned. "Kurt is brutal. I am never playing Mortal Kombat with him again."

Artie sucked his breath in. "Yo, Kurt's a beast at Mortal Kombat."

"What happened?" Mike asked.

"We were playing five rounds right," Blaine started to explain, the boys listening intently, "and I was totally kicking his ass. I was certain I would win. I even felt bad because I won four in a row."

"Kurt totally played him," Finn smirked. "He was being all pouty and acting all hurt that he was losing."

"Who were fighting with?" Sam wondered.

"I was Sub-Zero and he was Smoke," Blaine told him. They all groaned aloud, knowing that was Kurt's best character. "So we start the fifth battle and before I know it, he's wailing on me. I mean, I blinked and I was dead. He beat me four in a row and he's sitting there all smug like he had it in the bag."

"Which he did," Finn laughed.

"Battle five starts and we're going at it hard. He doesn't let me get a single hit in up until I was just about dead and then he falters. So I'm going at him and his health is going down and I'm thinking, YES! I totally have him!"

"You didn't," the guys say simultaneously.

Blaine shook his head. "Not at all. Just as I thought I was going to win, he did this combo I've never even seen and I'm dead. He tosses the remote on the floor, gets up, and starts doing this victory dance."

"I hate that dance," Sam grumbled.

"Word," Artie and Mike agreed.

"Finn's laughing his ass off and I'm just sitting there completely dumbfounded," Blaine chuckled. "He starts saying that he fooled me and to never let doubt his skills again. I was kinda heart broken."

"Kurt's a beast," Artie said again. "The only person I've ever seen beat him is Puck."

Puck's head shot up at the mention of his name.

"How'd you beat him?" Blaine asked him.

"Um, I, uh," Puck stuttered. "I just push buttons and shit," he lied. He actually had a very strategic way to beat Kurt but his mind couldn't form the words.

"Well hell, you're better than I am," Blaine said with a laugh. "You need to teach me whatever it is you do. I need a rematch."

Puck's eyes widened. "UmâI can'tâI meanâI don't," he took a deep breath and shook his head. "I can try," he spat out. "But I make no promises."

Blaine smiled softly. "Cool," he nodded.

Puck gave him a half smile and turned away. Blaine watched him for a moment while the others continued to talk video games. Puck seemed to be intimidated by him and while he was increasingly curious by Puck's behavior, he wouldn't bring it up to anyone, not even to Kurt. According to both Dave and Finn, Puck was a huge fan of his. He had hoped that hanging out with the boys would show Puck that he was just another guy but it seemed like Puck needed a bit more time to get used to him. Blaine was more than ok with that. He wanted Puck to be comfortable enough with him to talk to him. Until then, he would ignore the way Puck watched him with awe when he thought no one was looking and he would continue to show him that he was just an average guy. Puck would approach him when he was ready.

Sunday night Kurt and Blaine lay facing each other in bed. Their arms and legs were intertwined, their lips meeting in sweet kisses. It was late and Kurt needed to go to sleep, but neither wanted their night to end. Once school started Kurt would be busy with school work, Cheerios, and preparations for Nationals and Blaine would be at home by himself. If it was up to Kurt, he would stay home with Blaine until he left for the second half of the tour.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Blaine asked, bringing Kurt's fingers to his lips to kiss.

Kurt scoffed. "No," he answered. Blaine raised an unconvinced brow and Kurt relented. "Alright, alright. I'm a little nervous," he admitted disgruntled.

"What is it that worries you?"

"I don't know," Kurt shrugged. "I guess I'm worried about how everyone will treat me? I mean, I know that people are going to act differently towards me, but I don't want to spend my day telling them to back off. I don't want to sit there with these dumbasses who never talk to me all up in my face asking me questions about you."

"Then make that known," Blaine suggested. "The kids at your school respect you and or fear you; use that. You've known most of them your entire life. They'll listen to you when you tell them to back off. I'm sure of it."

"So you want me to be a bitch to them?" Kurt asked with a smirk.

Blaine chuckled softly and shook his head. "No. I want you to take charge of the situation. You're His Royal Highness aren't you? Be His Royal Highness. Walk into that school with confidence like you've done every day for the last three years. Show them that you're the same, Kurt-don't-fuck-with-me-Hummel and everything will fall into place."

Kurt hummed and leaned in, capturing Blaine's lips in a tender kiss. "I love it when you cuss," he whispered. "So hot."

Blaine kissed him back for a only a moment before pulling away. "I know you do," he said cockily. "We should get to bed. It's late."

Kurt whined and pouted. "Can't I stay home?" Blaine shook his head, an adoring look in his eyes. Kurt sighed. "Alright. Goodnight. Love you."

Blaine kissed Kurt's nose then turned so that Kurt could be the big spoon. "Goodnight hon. Love you too."

The silence in the halls of McKinley was deafening. Kurt strutted in alone, his head held high and strong. His friends tried to walk in with him but he insisted that he needed to go solo on his first day back. He didn't want the New Directions to protect him. He didn't need his Cheerios to follow him like sheep. He wanted, he needed, to be strong and confident for himself. It was the only way the other students would continue to respect him as Kurt Hummel and not Blaine Anderson's soulmate.

Kurt could feel every student's eyes on him and it was admittedly a bit creepy. He had expected to be bombarded, prepared for it. But the silence and the stares were nerve wracking. He didn't let his discomfort show. He headed towards his locker where his girls were waiting when a firm hand grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back roughly.

"Welcome back, faggot," Azimio spat with disdain. "Where's your big shot superstar soulmate, huh? Didn't he want to come to school and hold your hand all day? Or is he too embarrassed to be seen with you?" Before Kurt could respond, Jeremy appeared out of nowhere and was standing behind Azimio. Kurt smiled sweetly. "What the fuck is you smiling at, homo?"

Azimio took a step closer but stopped instantly when he felt a strong hand rest on his shoulder. "Is there a problem here?" Azimio's face dropped at the sound of the deep, stern voice.

"No problem at all, Jer," Kurt replied, a cocky grin on his lips. "Azimio here was just about to head to the principal's office."

Jeremy walked around Azimio but kept his hand on Azimio's shoulder. "Why don't I escort you?" he offered though it sounded more like a command.

Kurt wiggled his fingers goodbye and crossed his arms. He glanced around the hall at the gaping students. "Anyone else got something to say?" the students scattered. "I didn't think so." Kurt turned around to head to his locker but came to an abrupt halt when he saw his teacher waiting for him. "Good morning, Mr. Schue," he greeted.

"Step into my office for a moment," Mr. Schue nodded towards the door.

Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes and walked into the office. "Mr. Schue, if this is about my recent behavior, I would just like to formally apologize," Kurt said what he'd rehearsed for weeks. Mr. Schue closed his office door and walked to his desk. "I know I've been a bit of a bitch lately and I'm sorry. I've just been really stressed out lately and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have done that. I understand that you wanted to speak to my dad but I'm going to beg you to please leave him out of this. You know he has a bad heart and I don't want to bring any more stress on him. These past few months have been so crazy and I-"

"Kurt, relax," Mr. Schue chuckled as he took a seat at his desk. "While I appreciate the apology, I did not call you in here about that," Kurt sighed with what Mr. Schue assumed was relief but was more of annoyance. "I called you in here to ask you why you never told me!"

"About?"

"Blaine Anderson!" Mr. Schue exclaimed. "I can't believe he's your soulmate! That's incredible, Kurt!"

Kurt forced a smile. "Thanks."

"Well?" Mr. Schue pressed. "Why all the secrecy? I mean, I understand the importance of keeping his identity secret but why didn't you tell me?"

Because I didn't trust you not to blab your mouth, Kurt wanted to say. Instead he opted for, "Because I didn't tell any adults except my parents, not even Sue."

"When are you bringing him to Glee club?"

Kurt did his best not to scowl. "I'm not sure. His fans are a bit on the crazy side. I don't know if him coming here is a good idea."

Mr. Schue waved him off. "Oh I'm sure all those fancy security guards you have patrolling the school can handle a few teenagers. Ask him for me, see what he says."

Kurt pursed his lips and nodded. He wondered if Mr. Schue would be so thrilled at the aspect of meeting Blaine if he knew how much Blaine disliked his teaching methods or the fact that Blaine suggested he should sing the solo instead of Rachel. Kurt got the feeling that he wouldn't be thrilled at all.

"No. Absolutely not."

"But Mr. Schue."

"I said no," Mr. Schue cut Rachel off. "I'm very proud of you for wanting to share the stage but there is no way that Kurt can have the solo," Rachel glanced at Kurt with wary eyes, fearful that he would be glaring at her. She was relieved to see that he was scowling at Mr. Schue instead. "While I agree that Kurt's voice is rather unique, I don't think it's right for the solo at Nationals."

"What about Santana?" Kurt asked, his irritation clear as day. "Or Mercedes? Are they good enough for your standards or are they too unique?"

"Kurt, I didn't mean it like that."

"Like hell you didn't," Santana snapped. "You're always preaching about how everyone in here is a star and how we all shine but when it comes down to it, the only people you believe in are Rachel and Finn."

"That's not true."

"Bullshit," Puck spoke up. "Tana's right, you don't believe in us. You don't believe that we're good enough to win unless Rachel and Finn are singing lead and we're tired of that shit."

"Everyone will be expecting Rachel and me to sing lead," Finn pointed. "I read it on the show choir blog."

"You read the show choir blog?" Zizes asked with judgmental eyes.

"Blaine told me it was a good idea. It gives us a heads up on what all the other groups are saying," Finn shrugged. "The point I'm trying to make is that if we want to win then we have to be unpredictable. No one would expect us to give Kurt the solo but it's totally a genius idea. He's like, the perfect counter tenor. They'll never see it coming."

"Nationals is not the time to take risks," Mr. Schue said firmly.

"Nationals is the perfect time to take risks!" Rachel shouted silencing the grunts of disapproval in the room. "We really need to consider this, Mr. Schue. Kurt's voice is incredible and he should be showcased. He deserves it. We can do his solo and two duets; Finn and I and Santana and Quinn. Have more faith in our abilities as a group to win this."

Mr. Schue shook his head defiantly. "This is not up for discussion. I have all the faith in you but I know what's best for Nationals. You will have your solo, you and Finn will have your duet, and we will do a group number, just like we always do."

"And we will lose," Kurt said angrily. "Just like we always do."

"Now Kurt, don't be bitter about this."

"Screw you," Kurt stood up from his seat and grabbed his bag. "I'm out of here. Finn, get a ride with Rachel."

"Kurt, sit down."

Kurt ignored his teacher and walked out of the choir room without a word.

Later that week, Blaine found himself walking the halls of Dalton towards the History classes. He was meeting Hunter for lunch and spending the afternoon with The Warbler boys. He would be giving them pointers on how to win Nationals. It was the least he could do after he sold them out, and though Kurt told him that his teacher refused to give him the solo, which Blaine did not understand at all, his guilt was still eating away at him. He needed to do everything he could to make it up to his Alma Mater.

Blaine smiled when he saw Hunter's classroom and quickened his pace. He stood by the door and watched Hunter give his final notes for the lesson. He was so proud of his Warbler brother. Hunter was born to be a teacher. The lunch bell rang and Blaine stepped aside to let the boys pass. Most didn't notice his presence, too eager to get to lunch. But the few that did froze in their spots and stared.

"That teacher of yours really knows what he's talking about, huh?" Blaine said to them.

"Of course I do," Hunter said from inside the classroom. "Get to lunch boys. Stop gaping like a bunch of fangirls."

The boys scattered and Blaine turned a bright smile at Hunter. "Hey."

"Hey," Hunter smiled back, not as bright but more hopeful. He was both excited and worried about spending time with Blaine. They'd been texting quite a bit ever since their agreement to be friends again but seeing him face to face was a different story. "You want to eat in the teacher's lounge or the cafeteria?"

"Can we eat in here?" Blaine asked, nodding towards his class. "I kinda just wanted to spend some time with you before working with the boys. I even brought my own lunch," he said, showing Hunter the brown paper bag.

Hunter smiled a bit softer. "Yeah, come on in," Blaine walked inside and Hunter closed the door. "I usually eat in here anyway. The teachers are a bit too stiff and the boys are kind of obnoxious."

Blaine chuckled and took a seat at one of the desks. "Imagine what they said about us."

Hunter scoffed as he grabbed his own lunch from the mini fridge and took a seat next to Blaine. "Please, we were the perfect students," Blaine raised a brow. "Ok well, Wes and I were, you guys not so much."

"None will ever be as bad as David and Jeff," Blaine laughed.

Hunter shook his head. "Oh no. It would be impossible to outdo them," he said seriously and Blaine could only laugh. "How have you been?"

Blaine half shrugged as he unwrapped his sandwich. "I'm good. A bit bored at the house all by myself but I'm good."

"I bet you're itching to get back on the road," Hunter smirked.

"You know, I really am," Blaine nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I love Kurt's family, but I can only spend so many days doing nothing. And there's nothing quite like touring with the guys. I miss it."

"How many more weeks do you have left?"

"Three," Blaine sighed. "Which is why I was hoping that maybe I could come help with The Warblers?" he asked hopefully. "I don't want my presence to be an issue but if you don't mind, I'd love to come a few times a week and work with them."

Hunter shook his head. "Are you kidding me? I don't mind at all. These boys are completely hopeless. There's nothing more I can do to prepare them for Nationals. Maybe you can get them in shape."

"Oh come on, they can't be that bad," Blaine said in disbelief.

"It's not they're bad," Hunter huffed with frustration. "They just have no drive, no commitment. Not like we did."

Blaine nodded thoughtfully. "I'll see what I can do. How's everything else been? Other than that?" A blush crept up Hunter's face despite his efforts to control it. Both knew what Blaine was really asking. Blaine smiled knowingly. "You can talk about him with me if you want. I won't tell him anything."

Hunter looked away a bit bashfully. "Things have been," Hunter paused, smiling to himself at the thought of his soulmate. "Things have been really nice actually."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Hunter laughed lightly. "Trust me, I'm just as surprised. We aren't talking on the phone too much but he texts me all the time."

Blaine didn't bother to hold back a grin. "Oh yeah? What about?"

"The movie, the weather in London, but mostly about that dog," Hunter told him with a truly happy smile. He had an album on his phone full of pictures of Sebastian and Parrish. He never knew he'd love a dog so much but every new picture Sebastian sent, his love for the dog grew deeper.

"You mean that dog he found on set?" Blaine asked bemused. "I didn't know he kept him."

"Yeah, I guess he did. He said he was going to try to find the owner but I don't think he wants to give the dog up now. He named it Parrish."

Blaine hummed. "Sebastian with a dog? I didn't even know he liked dogs."

Hunter laughed. "I don't think he even knew he liked dogs."

"He does seem much happier," Blaine pointed out. "I talked to him yesterday afternoon and he was in a really good mood. Cheery even. It was kinda weird actually," he chuckled.

Hunter bit back an excited grin. He had been texting Sebastian while Blaine and he were on Skype talking. The realization that he was the reason behind Sebastian's cheeriness made his heart thump violently. "He seems to be really excited about the movie," Hunter diverted.

"Not as excited as Kurt," Blaine rolled his eyes fondly. "He's constantly pestering Sebastian for details."

"Your Kurt does seem a bit on the enthusiastic side," Hunter said.

"He is," Blaine laughed. "You'll have to meet him one day, really meet him I mean. Maybe the four of us could take a trip somewhere when he's on break from filming?"

Hunter met Blaine's eyes, hope and doubt clear as day. "Maybe."

Blaine offered an encouraging smile. He was certain that Hunter and Sebastian would finally patch things up. It was only a matter of time.

Kurt spent his afternoon drawing sketches at the Lima Bean while his friends were in Glee club rehearsal and Blaine visited Dalton. He hadn't been back since he walked out on Monday and had no intention of going back until Mr. Schue gave him the solo. He was done swaying in the background.

His corner of the coffee shop was mostly empty. The bodyguards standing close by were more than enough to keep those who recognized him at bay. But it didn't stop the patrons from staring at a distance and whispering about him. Kurt didn't mind it too much. It was easy to ignore and he knew most of them from around town. He wondered if he would still get all this attention when Blaine was back on tour.

Kurt heard the chair across from him move and he looked up to see a strange yet familiar looking man. "Can I help you?" he asked politely with a glance at Jeremy who didn't at all seem worried by the man. If anything, he looked interested.

"I hope so," the man answered with a hardness in his tone that put Kurt on edge. "My name is John, I'm Blaine's father."

A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. See ya next time. :)

Going Home

A/N: Hello darlings! As always, thank you so much for the support and patience. It means the world to me! I couldn't ask for better readers.

Shoutout to the lovely GleekMom for her help on a scene and of course thank you MuseInMe3 for being such a wonderful beta.

Just an FYI, this a Blaine-centric chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination behind this plot.

"My name is John. I'm Blaine's father."

Kurt's heart stopped, his jaw agape and his eyes going wide. Blaine's father, here at the Lima Bean, sitting across from him? This had to be some sort of trick.

"I can assure you, Mr. Hummel, that I am indeed Blaine's father," John said as if to read Kurt's mind. "I've shown the security guard that is so diligently watching us from the door my ID. I've no problem showing you as well." He pulled out his driver's license and a picture of the Anderson family when Cooper and Blaine were young boys.

Kurt closed his mouth and took John's identification cautiously. He then looked at the picture. Blaine was maybe six years old in the photo and proudly wore a toothless grin. Kurt couldn't suppress the smile on his lips from seeing his soulmate as an adorable little boy.

"You can keep the photo if you'd like." John's voice brought Kurt back to the current situation. "Blaine left home with nothing so I doubt he has any photos of his youth."

Kurt looked at John with slightly narrowed eyes and returned the man's driver's license. "Is there a particular reason as to why you're here, Mr. Anderson?" Kurt asked, his tone polite but firm.

John folded his hands on the table. "Yes, there is," he replied, his tone matching Kurt's. "I wanted to speak with you about Blaine."

"What about him?" Kurt asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

John ignored Kurt's tone. He understood the boy's hesitance. He could only imagine what his son had told Kurt about him. In fact, he dreaded it. He needed to be careful how he said things and how he spoke to his son's soulmate. The last thing he wanted to do was push Blaine further away.

"I'm sure you know that he and I," John paused and took a breath. "He and I are not exactly on good terms, Kurt."

"Because he's gay?" Kurt asked much snippier than intended. "Or because he didn't want to go into business like you?"

"Because he's compassionate," John answered with no hesitation. "Because he feels deeply and because he's a dreamer. I never understood him. We had nothing in common." John looked away and Kurt was surprised by his pained expression. "Blaine being gay and choosing to follow his heart instead of the plan I had for him, those were simply excuses for me to shut him out."

Kurt's face softened. "What exactly is it that you want from me, Mr. Anderson?"

"I want you to pass along a message for me," John spoke and the hint of emotion Kurt saw had vanished. "I know he's leaving for the rest of his tour soon. I'd like it if he came to see me beforehand."

"I have to ask, why didn't you just call him yourself?" Kurt asked curiously.

John took a moment to answer and when he did, his voice was quiet. "Because I know he wouldn't speak to me on his own. I figured my best bet to reach him was through you."

Kurt offered him a small smile. If only he knew how badly Blaine truly did want to speak to him. "I will pass along the message."

"I'd appreciate that," Mr. Anderson nodded. "Also," he pulled a business card from inside his jacket, "this is for your father."

Kurt took it warily. "My father?"

"I'm a financial analyst, Kurt, and a damn good one," John informed him. "And I think it would be good if your father and I got to know each other a little bit. Have him call me. Even if he doesn't want any financial advice, I'd really like to speak with him." John pushed the seat back and stood up. "It was nice meeting you, Kurt. I hope that one day it will be under better circumstances. Until then." John gave Kurt a nod and walked away before Kurt could say goodbye.

"Dude it was so freaking cool!" Kurt heard Finn say as he walked towards the kitchen. He had put off coming home for as long as he could, unsure of how Blaine would react to his father's visit. He hoped Blaine wouldn't be upset with him for passing along the message. He took a deep breath as he turned the corner. "Hey," he greeted meekly, his dad and Blaine smiling at him while Finn bounced with excitement.

"Kurt!" Finn shouted. "You'll never guess what happened!" Kurt raised an inquiring brow and glanced at Blaine warily. Blaine tensed at the look in his eyes. "The New Directions totally walked out today!"

"Oh yeah?" Kurt questioned, only partially interested in what Finn had to say.

"Yeah! We kept trying to convince Mr. Schue that he needed to give you the solo and he kept telling us how we needed to focus on our strong points and Rachel totally went off on him! Santana had to pull her away and everything! It was epic!" Finn exclaimed.

Kurt forced a smile. "That's great, Finn. Listen, I really need to talk to Blaine and Dad. Could you go play a video game?"

Kurt's tone was much harsher than he intended and Finn deflated. He had thought Kurt would be elated by the news and was bummed that Kurt didn't seem to care. He mumbled about his efforts not being appreciated as he walked out and Kurt made a mental note to talk to him later.

"Kurt, what's wrong?" Blaine asked worriedly. He made his way over to his soulmate to pull him into his arms but Kurt held his hand up to stop him.

Kurt took a seat at the island and exhaled, letting the words fall out before he lost the courage. "Your dad came to see me today."

Blaine retracted as if he'd been slapped. "What?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. He um, he found me at the Lima Bean. I don't know how but one second I'm on tumblr and the next he's sitting at my table."

"What did he want?" Blaine asked in a tone that was unlike himself. It reminded Kurt of Blaine's father.

"That he wanted to talk with you," Kurt spoke gently. "He said that he figured you wouldn't want to speak with him and that I was his best bet at getting you to talk to him."

"Unbelievable," Blaine scoffed shaking his head.

Kurt reached into his messenger bag and grabbed the photo and business card John had given him. "He wanted you to have this." Kurt handed Blaine the photo and Blaine's heart broke a little bit. He remembered the day the picture was taken. It had been one of the few rare moments where his father showed him kindness. Kurt turned to his dad and gave him the business card. "He wanted me to give this to you, Dad. He said he could help you with your business if you were interested, and even if you weren't, he'd like it if you gave him a call. He said he wanted to get to know you."

Burt took the card curiously. He'd done his research. He knew who John Anderson was and exactly how powerful he was in Ohio. He wasn't sure how he felt about the man, unwilling to base his opinion without properly meeting him. But he knew from John's business profile that he was raised by General Thomas Anderson and he guessed that John and he had a similar upbringing.

"What else did he say, Kurt?" Blaine asked, his voice low and a little broken. In that moment, Burt saw a little boy desperate for his father's love. He knew that feeling entirely too well. "Tell me."

"Dad, could you give us a minute?"

"No," Blaine stopped Burt from leaving. "Burt stays. Tell me what else my father said, Kurt."

Kurt fidgeted with the strap of his bag. "He told me that you two weren't on good terms because he didn't understand you, that he never understood you, and that it wasn't because you're gay or a musician, but because you're compassionate and a dreamer. He said that he used you being gay as an excuse to push you away."

Blaine's jaw dropped, his eyes blazing with fire. "Did he now?" Kurt internally cringed at the anger in Blaine's voice. "Did he also tell you how he ridiculed me in front of my friends before I even knew what being gay meant? Or the fact that he did everything in his power to go to Cooper's baseball games but was somehow too busy to attend the school play I was in?"

"Blaine."

"Or how about the fact that he broke my first guitar even though I cried and begged him not to?" Blaine continued. "Did he tell you about all the events that I was forced to attend and pretend to like the daughters of his associates? Or the way he blamed me for getting my ass kicked at the Sadie Hawkins dance? No, of course he didn't tell you. That would mean that he had a conscious. That would mean that he actually fucking cared!"

"Blaine, please," Kurt tried again.

"I need to get out of here," Blaine said more to himself, storming past Kurt and out the door.

Kurt quickly turned to follow him but Burt stopped him. "Let him breath for little bit, son. He'll be back."

Blaine walked steadily down the sidewalk, two bodyguards following close behind. He yelled at them as he walked out that he was going for a walk whether they went with him or not, and naturally two followed. Blaine didn't care that they were there. They were paid to keep an eye on him and not to ask questions unless he was doing something life threatening. Walking to the park at the end of the block was hardly dangerous but they followed nonetheless.

Blaine was reeling with emotions. He was furious with his father for daring to contact Kurt. He was annoyed with Kurt for seemingly not understanding why he was so upset. But most of all, he was ashamed of himself for the scene he had caused and for letting his father affect his emotions so strongly. He had sworn to himself years ago that he wouldn't hold onto the anger his father was always able to get out of him and he truly believed that he had let it go. But apparently his anger had only hidden away, ready to come out at the right moment. He hated how vulnerable he felt. He hated how weak he seemed. Worst of all, he hated how badly he still wished his father would open his heart to him.

By the time he made it to the park, the anger had subsided and all that was left was remorse and regret. He took a seat on a bench, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply, allowing a sudden gentle calm to wash over him. He assumed it was because Kurt played at this park as a child and it somehow relaxed his soul. What he didn't know was that many years ago, on the very bench where he sat, his pregnant mother came across a crying Elizabeth desperate for guidance.

"I know you don't know me but I'm a good listener," Natalie spoke softly, keeping an eye on Cooper who was attempting to climb the monkey bars. "They say talking to a stranger is always easier than talking to someone you know."

Elizabeth sniffled and wiped away the tears. "I turn of age next week," she said somberly. "And I'm going to die any day now," Elizabeth looked up at Natalie whose eyes were wide with heartbreak and confusion. "I have leukemia. The doctor's told me I won't make it to my birthday. It's one thing to know that I'll never meet my soulmate. But to then realize that I was never meant for a soulmate?" Elizabeth started crying again, her heart aching in a way no one should experience.

Natalie hesitated for a moment before gently placing her hand over Elizabeth's. She brought it over and Elizabeth followed, her head resting on Natalie's large stomach. Natalie held the young girl in her arms as she cried, humming quietly until Elizabeth's tears subsided.

"Doctors aren't always right," Natalie told her. "According to them, I was lucky to have had my Cooper and getting pregnant again would be impossible and yet, here I am."

Elizabeth sat up and looked deep into Natalie's eyes. "That's hardly the same thing," she mumbled.

"Isn't it?" Natalie questioned. "On one end, they're telling you that your life is coming to an end. On the other, they're telling me that I can't bring new life into this world," Elizabeth looked away and shrugged. "The point is that just because they say it's so doesn't mean it is. Fate has a plan for all of us. You just have to believe."

"And you believed that you would have another baby?" Elizabeth asked her.

"With all my heart," Natalie smiled softly, her hand rubbing her belly.

They didn't speak again for a while, Elizabeth lost in her thoughts and Natalie not wanting to disturb her. Natalie checked the time and sighed. She still had a bit of a drive home and she was tired, but she wouldn't head back to Westerville until she was certain that her husband's father wouldn't be there. That's why she was in Lima in the first place. John didn't want her anywhere near their home when his father showed up so she left for the day. It was getting dark however and Cooper was getting tired, sitting on a swing pushing the sand with his feet instead of swinging.

"I should go home," Elizabeth finally spoke. "My parents are probably worried," Natalie nodded but said nothing. "Thanks for talking with me. Sorry for crying on your baby. I hope I didn't disturb him, or her."

"You didn't," Natalie assured her. "And he's a boy. We're naming him Blaine."

Elizabeth smiled a little. "That's a nice name. Congrats."

Natalie returned her smile. "Thank you." Elizabeth stood up to leave but stopped when Natalie grabbed her arm. "Remember what I said, Fate has a plan for everybody. You just need to believe." Elizabeth nodded, unshed tears of hope in her eyes and walked away. Natalie exhaled slowly as Blaine suddenly moved sharply. "It's ok sweetheart. I'm sure things will work out the way they're supposed to."

A couple of hours later, once the sun had set, Burt took a seat next to his son in law. He didn't say a word and Blaine refused to look at him. "I'm sorry for my behavior," Blaine said sounding more like a child than adult. "I'm embarrassed by my actions and I hope you won't hold them against me."

Burt chuckled softly, draping his arm over Blaine's shoulder. "Son, if you think that little walk out of yours compares to any one of Kurt's walk outs, you need a serious reality check."

Blaine smiled despite himself. "Still. I was raised better than that and my emotions got the better of me."

"It happens to the best of us," Burt told him kindly. "Has Kurt ever talked about his Grandfather Richard?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Blaine looked up interested and shook his head. "No, he wouldn't have. I made certain that Kurt never met my father. I missed several family events because he would be there and I refused to be in the same room with him. To put it plainly, my father was a bastard. He was a cold man, had been my entire life. He was in World War II and the Vietnam War and in his eyes, things like love and compassion made you weak. How my mother stayed with him for so many years is still a mystery to me."

"Sounds like my grandfather," Blaine muttered. "Hell, it sounds like my dad."

"Those of us with military upbringing tend to have a different view on life," Burt continued. "In some ways, I'm a lot like my father. Or at least I was. I didn't care about love or starting a family. It didn't bother me that I had Lizzy's name on my wrist with no indication of meeting her. I was even upset when the signs of meeting her started. I didn't want that life. I didn't want to be someone's husband, someone's dad. I was certain that I'd be awful at it. Everything changed when I met my Lizzy though; she changed me. She had this strength about her that melted my heart and after that, I couldn't imagine not showering her with love and adoration even though it was such a foreign concept to me. You wanna know what my father said to me when I told him and Ma that Lizzy was dying?" Blaine nodded. "He told me to leave her. He told me that she would die no matter what we did and being with her was pointless. He would rather I not lover her at all and move on to a healthier woman who could keep the home clean than be happy."

Blaine's shoulders slumped. "That's terrible."

"That was my Pop," Burt sighed. "Lizzy and I bonded not long after we met. At times I felt like our relationship had been thrown together. She was so young and so ill and I still had so much growing to do. But we did our best, we made it through, and in the end, I wouldn't change a thing. But the point I'm trying to make here, son, is that I want you to really think about my old man and yours. Don't think about their likeness but their differences. Your dad, no matter what's happened in the past, has reached out to you. He made nice with your soulmate and his father because he wants to show you that he's changed, or at least trying to."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I do," Burt nodded. "And I think you would truly regret not giving him a chance. Now I'm not saying that it's going to be cupcakes and rainbows right away, but talking to him face to face could be the first step."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Burt scoffed good-naturedly. "Of course I am."

"Kurt's lucky to have a father like you," Blaine smiled softly.

"He's lucky to have both of us kid. I mean, we are the best looking men in the world after all," Burt joked and Blaine chuckled. "Come on, son, let's head home before Kurt freaks out even more than he already is."

Blaine walked into Kurt's bedroom quietly, an apologetic smile on his lips. Kurt looked up from where he was sitting and sighed, relief coursing through his body. He quickly stood and met Blaine halfway, wrapping his arms around his shoulders in an embrace.

"I'm sorry," Kurt rushed out. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to upset you but I knew I had to."

Blaine pulled back just enough to kiss Kurt sweetly. "It's ok," he said then sighed. "I promise I'm not upset with you. I'm not even upset with him. I don't know what I am. I was so ready to talk to him and now I'm terrified all over again. Part of me wants to believe it's some trick but another part of me is dying to know what he has to say. But no matter what I feel or don't feel, I shouldn't have walked out like that."

"Are you kidding?" Kurt smirked. "That was a baby walk out compared to mine."

Blaine chuckled, their noses brushing. "Still. I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's alright," Kurt pulled back and led Blaine to bed. "What are you going to do?" he asked as they sat.

Blaine shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I know I have to go see him but I don't know if I should talk to my mom first or if I should just confront him first. Should I prepare myself for a fight or are we finally going to be able to talk without his obvious disappointment in me coming through? Does he even want to try and get to know me? Or is this just some elaborate scheme to cut me off for good?"

Kurt frowned at the desperation in Blaine's voice. "I don't know hon, but neither will you until you talk to him. I will tell you this; your dad seemed kinda sad."

Blaine's brows shot up in surprise. "My dad? Sad? That's not possible. My dad doesn't show emotion, ever."

Kurt shrugged. "I could've read it wrong but it seemed like he had some regrets," Blaine turned away, unsure of how to feel about his father feeling remorse. "We should go to bed early. I have a solo to get tomorrow and you have a school boy glee club to whip into shape. Although I'm not exactly fond of the latter."

Blaine scoffed good-naturedly and stood up, slipping his shirt off before removing his pants. "Yes well, considering you tricked me into giving you vital competition information, I sort of had no choice."

Kurt gasped as he too stripped down to his boxers. "I have no idea what you're insinuating," Blaine gave him a look which he ignored. "Not like it matters. The New Directions are going to wipe the floor with those wannabes."

Blaine shook his head, pulled the sheets back and got into bed. He waited until Kurt had settled down before laying his head on Kurt's chest. Several minutes of silence passed, Kurt's fingers twirling Blaine's curls. Kurt thought Blaine had fallen asleep because of his steady breathing. But the gentle caress of his thumb on Kurt's abdomen told him otherwise.

"Kurt," Blaine whispered.

"Hm?"

"I'm scared," Blaine admitted, the slightest waver in his voice. "What if he truly does hate me? What if I go see him and the world crashes down around me?"

"It won't," Kurt promised him. "And if it does, I'll be here to catch you when you fall."

Blaine hugged Kurt tighter and turned his head to kiss Kurt's bare chest. "I love you, Kurt Hummel, more than anything in this entire world."

Kurt kissed the top of Blaine's head. "I love you too, always have and always will." Blaine let the words soothe his soul. No matter what his father said, in the end all that mattered was the love between Kurt and him. As long as Kurt stood by his side, nothing could bring him down.

"Are you sure changing the songs is the best idea?" Blaine asked Hunter as they made their way to the rehearsal hall. It was early Saturday morning and the Warbler boys were supposed to be waiting for them. Hunter prayed that they actually showed up.

"I know it's risky but I don't see any other choice," Hunter said as they turned the corner. "They aren't in the least bit motivated to win. They think they'll win solely on our legacy. They're bored with the songs, bored with the routines. We need something to give them life, something that will make them want to win on their own."

Blaine nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe if we remixed the songs differently?" he suggested though he knew by the look on Hunter's face that wouldn't work. "Or maybe we should sit them down and talk to them?"

Hunter scoffed. "Yeah because that's worked so far."

As Hunter and Blaine drew closer to the rehearsal hall, a familiar voice boomed with passion and disappointment. They glanced at each other bemused and quickened their pace just in time to see Wes slam his fist on the desk.

"Is this some joke to you?" Wes hollered at the boys. "Do you honestly think that whatever bullshit was happening in the dorms or the classrooms had any effect on us? The moment we walked through those doors and into this room, any and all arguments or disagreements vanished because we knew that we had to put our everything into our performance. Any anger we felt towards our brother or teacher or whoever the hell us, we channeled it and used it to deliver a passion that couldn't be touched!" Wes walked around the desk still unaware of Blaine and Hunter's presence. "I am so incredibly disappointed in you boys. This never would've happened when we were the Warblers. In fact, none of you would have even made the cut."

"What did we miss?"

Wes and the Warblers turned to the door at the sound of Hunter's voice. Wes huffed and crossed his arms. "I show up early, thinking that I would surprise you guys and instead I find these dimwits fighting, over some stupid test at that."

Blaine shook his head and entered the room with Hunter. "You know Wesley, I thought I could help them, show them the way to greatness, but they are just so pompous aren't they?" he asked as if the boys weren't in the room listening.

"They're pompous and they have no heart," Wes said with disgust. "I'm ashamed to even be associated with them."

"You're ashamed?" Hunter asked in disbelief, disgruntled murmurs growing as the Warbler men downgraded them. "You guys got out. I'm still here babysitting them. I can't stand to look at them most days."

"From what I've seen, I don't blame you," Blaine said with regret.

"Alright, we get it!" councilman Thomas shouted over his teammates. "We suck, ok? We'll never meet your standards, we got it."

"But you don't get it," Blaine said to them with sorrowful eyes. "You boys are living our legacy, you're riding out our fame and that's not going to fly, not anymore. You need to make your own legacy and that can't happen if you don't believe in yourselves," the boys looked around, all wearing the same sullen expression. "Do you guys even want this? Do you want to win? Do you want to compete?"

"Of course we do," Thomas answered though his tone suggested otherwise. "We justâwe're never going to be like you guys. Even you, Mr. Clarington. Your Warblers had this, I don't know, magic about them that we just don't have. We aren't good enough."

"But you are good enough!" Wes exclaimed. "Why do you think we're being so hard on you? We don't want you to be us, we want you to be you. You're not going to accomplish anything by trying to be something you aren't. But you are just as magical as we were. The only difference is that we believed in ourselves."

"Oh my God," Blaine gasped, his eyes shining with excitement. "I got it," he said to Hunter before turning to the boys. "A big part of our magic was choosing the right music. Raise your hand if you hate the songs you've chosen?" Every Warbler hand, including Hunter and Wes' went up. "See? There's your problem. Everything else, the arguing with each other and the lack of effort, all stems from the frustration over your songs. Picking new songs, songs that you love with a passion, will give you guys the magic you're lacking."

"Yeah but what songs?" Thomas asked him.

Blaine's face lit up. "How about Michael?"

"Jackson?" Hunter asked for clarification, the room immediately abuzz.

"B, that's brilliant!" Wes grinned. "The last time the Warblers did Michael was-"

"Nationals, junior year," Blaine cut in. "Sebastian led us to victory with Michael," Blaine turned towards the boys. "What do you boys say? You can write down all your favorite songs and majority votes for the top three. Only rule is that it can't be any of the songs we performed. If you're doing Michael, you have to do it your way."

The Warbler boys looked at one another and nodded. Thomas smiled at his older brothers with an excitement that hadn't been there all year. "Looks like the Warblers are doing Michael Jackson again. The New Directions don't stand a chance."

"The Warblers don't have a chance," Kurt said smugly during their lunch break. After the New Directions stormed out the day before, Mr. Schue had no choice but to give Kurt the solo. The only problem now was that Kurt had no idea what to sing. "They're totally screwed once I get up there."

"Yeah, once you pick a song," Santana reminded him and he rolled his eyes. "What happened to singing Pompeii?"

Kurt half-shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, vocally I got that song in the bag. But now that Blaine's helping them get ready, I don't feel like it's a strong enough song for Nationals."

"What about something from Panic! At the Disco?" Rachel wondered. "You killed it during 'step out of your comfort zone' week. Maybe they have a song that's Nationals worthy?"

"Maybe," Kurt said uncertainly. "I have to really think about this and I need to do it soon. There's no way in hell I'm letting those stuck up little spoiled brats take our trophy."

"Your soulmate used to be one of those brats," Quinn pointed out with a smirk.

"Used to be being the operative word," Kurt said. "And so what? Even if he was a Dalton student now, I'd still want to wipe their smug little faces all up in my shit. We are better than them, point blank, and we are not going to lose."

Blaine meant to go home right after Warbler rehearsal. He meant to give himself more time to think everything over before talking with his father. But he seemed to enter autopilot the second he stepped into his rental car and drove from Dalton to his house; his parents' house. He sat in the driveway, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel anxiously. His bodyguards were parked on the curb and would wait there for Blaine for as long as he needed them. Blaine hated to make them wait longer than necessary, but he couldn't get out of his car. He felt paralyzed, his eyes shifting from his old bedroom window to the front door as if his parents would come out at any moment. They didn't of course and Blaine's nerves were getting worse. He needed to calm down before approaching his father. With an exhale, he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.

Slowly he made his way up the walkway, prolonging the inevitable as long as possible. He could still turn back if he wanted. He still had time. But he knew no matter when he spoke to his dad, the end result, whatever it may be, would be the same. He needed to get this over with, for not just himself, but for Kurt. They only had a couple of weeks left before Blaine was to leave for tour and he didn't want to waste his time sulking over his father.

He reached the door and froze. Should he knock? Should he just walk in? Was he even welcome in the Anderson home or had his father wanted to meet somewhere more impersonal? He probably should've called before showing up. But he was there now so he might as well get this over with. He rang the doorbell and breathed deeply. It was now or never.

Natalie opened the door and gasped. "Blaine?"

Blaine offered her a small smile. "Hey, Mom. I'm home."

Natalie threw her arms around her youngest son. She hadn't seen him since the concert she'd attended in October. She figured they would see each other over coffee before he left again for his tour. She certainly didn't expect him to come home.

Blaine melted into her embrace. He forgot how much he loved being in his mother's arms. "I hope you don't mind my just showing up," he said as they parted. "Should I have called?"

"No, no," Natalie said quickly. "It's perfectly ok that you're here. No need to call. Come in, come in."

Blaine followed his mother inside and was instantly hit with nostalgia. He could see himself running down the stairs and into the wall in an attempt to escape from Cooper. He remembered sitting at the top of the steps waiting for his father to get home in hopes that he was in a good mood so that he could tell him about his day at school. He could smell the aroma of the fireplace that his parents rarely used. Every so often, his father would send Cooper and him to bed early so that he could make a special dinner for his wife. Those nights were Blaine's favorite. He would sit halfway down the steps and watch his father twirl his mother around in the living room, their favorite love songs quietly playing in the background. It was those moments that Blaine saw the true man behind the hard mask.

"Is Dad still at the office?" Blaine wondered, his voice thick with emotion. He already knew the answer to that. His father always worked on the weekends. He just needed to make sure that John didn't change his routine.

"He is," Natalie confirmed. "He should be getting off soon." Blaine nodded but said nothing, his vision shifting up the stairs where his old room was. "Would you like some coffee?"

Blaine turned to her. "I'd love some, thanks. Do you mind if I...," he motioned to the top of the stairs.

"Yes, of course," Natalie said comfortingly. "It's exactly how you left it."

Blaine smiled a little. "Thanks. I'll be down in a minute."

Natalie smiled a little. She reached for her youngest and kissed his forehead before walking towards the kitchen. Blaine started up the stairs, his vision shifting to the family photos on the wall. He was pleasantly surprised to see that they hadn't changed. He had always assumed his father would make his mother switch them out after he left. Once he reached the top of the steps, he turned to look at the front door and took a seat. He felt like he was nine years old again, eager for his dad to get home.

Blaine waited anxiously as John walked inside. He had such exciting news to share and he really hoped that his dad was in a good mood. John glanced up the stairs as he took his jacket off and offered Blaine a small smile. "Hello, Blaine. How was school today?"

Blaine was bursting with joy. He ran down the steps and into John's arms. John hesitated for a moment before returning the hug. "Dad, you'll never guess what happened today!"

"The prettiest girl in school said hello to you?" John asked with a teasing smirk.

Blaine giggled. "No," he drew out. "I got a super cool part in the school musical!"

John raised a brow. "Is that so?" Blaine nodded enthusiastically. "And what musical is this?"

"You're a Good Man Charlie Brown!" Blaine shouted with an excitement that John didn't quite understand. "I get to play Snoopy, which everyone knows is like, the best part!"

"That's great, son," John said as he walked away, his tone indicating that he really had no interest in hearing anymore.

Blaine would not be deterred though. "You'll come right?" he asked with a hint of desperation, following his father towards his home office. "It's next month so you have time to call off work and stuff."

"I'm not sure yet, Blaine."

"And it's a musical so we get to sing and dance too!"

"I said I'm not sure yet, son."

"But you'll try, right?" Blaine asked, stopping at the doorway of John's office. "You'll try to come? It's going to be really cool, Dad, I promise!"

"I don't know, Blaine," John snapped. "Son, I have work to do. I can't talk about this right now. Close the door and have Cooper come get me when dinner is done."

Blaine deflated. "Yes, sir."

A single tear streamed down Blaine's face. "Happiness is singing together when the day is through, and happiness is those who sing with you," he sang softly. "Happiness is morning and evening, daytime and nighttime too. For happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you."

Blaine had always loved music and the idea of performing. But it wasn't until he was in his first real play that he learned how much he truly enjoyed it, how much he truly needed music in his life. He never forgave his father for missing the play, and every school production that his father missed after that reminded him of how much a disappointment he was. What he didn't know was that John was at opening night of his first play and at every other production he was in. He snuck in the back once the play had begun and left at curtain call every single time. John knew he needed to show Blaine his support. He knew that he couldn't be like his own father and disregard his son's feelings. He just never knew how.

Blaine shook the memories away and stood up. He walked down the hall and stopped at his bedroom door. He opened it slowly and let out a laugh when he saw that his room was exactly how he left it. "They really didn't change anything," he said to himself in awe. It was like stepping back in time. Even his old computer was still on his desk. He walked over to his dresser and ran his fingers over the now empty picture frame. His father had known exactly what he was doing by taking Kurt the one family picture Blaine had in his room. He opened the drawers and his clothes were still neatly packed away inside. He would have to talk to his mother about donating some of his old things.

He walked to his closet and opened it, kneeling down to check if his boxes were still there. He smiled brightly when he found them immediately. He pulled one out and opened it. It was full of pictures of his childhood friends, playbills, and tools for his guitar. He searched through the bottom until he found his guitar pick necklace. He had been so disappointed in himself when he realized that he hadn't taken it with him. He slipped it into his pocket, put the box back, and stood up. He shifted through his clothes and stopped when he found his Dalton jacket. With a smile, he took it off the hanger and slipped it on. He wasn't at all surprised that it still fit. He hadn't grown much since high school. He turned to the full length mirror and shook his head. He had forgotten how much he loved his Dalton blazer.

"You always did look good in your uniform," Natalie said from the doorway.

Blaine looked at her through the mirror. "I forgot how much I loved wearing it. Dalton always was more of a home than this house," Blaine regretted his words the moment they fell out of his mouth. He turned around just in time to see his mother's face drop. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did," Natalie said with a sad smile. "But it's alright. I understand that your life here wasn't always a happy one," Blaine looked down and slipped the jacket off. "The coffee's ready by the way."

Blaine nodded, walking back to his closet to put the jacket away. "How long do you think it'll be before Dad gets home?"

"In about thirty minutes. Do you need to leave already?" Natalie asked sadly.

Blaine shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving until Dad and I talk. It's time.

Natalie offered him a relieved smile. "Ok. Let's have some coffee before he gets home."

John wasn't at all prepared for the onslaught of emotion that hit him when he entered the kitchen. He knew Blaine was there because of the bodyguards parked outside his house. He even sat in his car a moment longer than usual in order to muster up the courage he needed to speak to his youngest son before going inside. He had expected to feel regret; he felt it more and more each day. He expected to feel shame; he knew he wasn't the best father. He tried so hard not to become the man his father was only to realize years later that he had. What he didn't expect was how deep his regret would go, how shameful he would truly feel. He didn't except the sorrow or the fear that coursed through him the moment he saw his son. His son who was now a man and he missed it all. He hated himself for it.

Blaine was sitting on the counter much like when he was a young boy and the image sent a sharp pain into John's heart. He always yelled at Blaine for sitting there and now all he wanted to do was apologize for making it into such a big deal. Blaine looked up and the smile on his face dropped instantly. He slid off the counter and stood tall, almost as if daring John to scold him. John glanced at his wife who was watching their exchange warily before truly looking at his little boy. He was taller, though not by much, and his shoulders were much broader than John remembered. His face was fuller, his eyes just as vibrant as ever, and he wore a clean goatee. Blaine's facial hair hadn't quite grown in by the time he left home. John wondered who had been there to teach Blaine how to manage it.

"Hello, son," John finally spoke, his voice breaking at the end. Blaine's face softened a bit at the realization that his father was scared. "Welcome home."

"Hi, Dad," Blaine spoke and it shook John to the core. Blaine's voice was deeper than he remembered; it was stronger. "Kurt told me you went to see him."

John broke eye contact, unable to withstand the passionate anger in Blaine's eyes. "I did," he confirmed. "I hope I didn't overstep by speaking with him first."

Blaine looked at his father bemusedly, unsure of how to feel about his father's reaction towards him. Something was off. "You didn't. I'm just confused as to why you felt the need to go to him instead of me." John didn't answer and stared at the floor. "Why don't we go into your office, Dad? It's long overdue that we talked, don't you agree?"

John nodded and wordlessly walked away. Blaine waited a moment before following after him only to stop when his mother caught his arm. "Try not to be too harsh on him, Blaine."

Blaine gave her a small smile and nodded before walking off. He didn't bother to knock when he entered his father's office, closing the door behind him. Natalie stood outside the door, unable to resist listening in. It wasn't until Blaine told her that she learned her husband had gone to see Kurt. She was both shocked and elated. She hoped that they would finally bury the hatchet. She wanted her family back.

John's back was to Blaine, his hands in his pocket, his posture stiff. "I was never a very good father to you, Blaine."

"That's one way to put it," Blaine said dryly.

John lowered his head. "I was mean to you, and I was unsupportive. You were always such a strange child to me and instead of trying to understand you, I pushed you away. It's one of my biggest regrets."

"One of them?" Blaine asked with a humorless laugh. "What are the others, Dad? Not going to my plays? Ridiculing me in front of company? Oh, how about blaming me for getting my ass kicked? Do you regret that too?"

John finally turned to look at his son and didn't hold back the vulnerability that made him feel weak. "I never should've embarrassed you the way I had. And I didn't blame you. I blamed myself for being unable to protect you and I took it out on you. I'm sorry for that."

"You're sorry?" Blaine asked in disbelief, his voice rising. "For what? Years of neglect and hatred? And why? Because you didn't understand me? Because I was too compassionate for you to comprehend? That's a load of crap! You were awful to me because I'm gay and because I didn't give two shits about your stupid job and you know it!"

"That's not true," John argued though his tone lacked any real effort. He didn't want to fight with Blaine. He didn't have it in him anymore.

"It is true!" Blaine hollered. "Tell me why you never wanted to talk to me whenever I moved in with Cooper! Why did all of our three second conversations ended with, is your brother around? If it's not because you hated having me as a son, then tell me," he demanded. "Tell me why it's so hard for you to admit that I'm just one big disappointment to you."

"You have never been a disappointment," John said firmly and Blaine scoffed. "I'm serious, Blaine. I went to every single one of your school plays. I just hid in the back and left at curtain call. I was there for every missed step and forgotten line. I was there."

"Then why didn't you ever say anything?" Blaine challenged.

"Because I didn't want to ruin your moment," John spoke softly. "I didn'tâI didn't want to say something that would somehow dim the light in your eyes. And I always talked to your brother because I could hear the hatred in your voice. I knew that talking to me was the last thing you wanted and IâI couldn't stand to hurt you anymore than I already had."

"Dad," Blaine whispered, shocked by his father's words.

"You have never been a disappointment, Blaine. Not ever."

Blaine shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "Why now?" he asked, his voice breaking. "Why are you now reaching out to me? Is it because I found Kurt? Is it because Mom asked you to?"

John walked over to his son and unclipped his cuff. Blaine's jaw dropped when he saw the intertwining lines underneath his mother's name had all but faded completely. "I'm losing her and all because I've been too stubborn to admit I was wrong." John walked to his desk and took a seat, his thumb caressing Natalie's name. "I ignored the feeling of loss for a long time, not wanting to admit that I needed to change. And when the day came where I was finally brave enough to look at her name, my heart shattered. She's falling out of love with me and I have no one to blame but myself." Blaine took a seat in the chair across from his dad, his right hand subtly playing with his cuff. John looked up at Blaine with tears in his eyes. "I tried so hard to be a better man than my father and I turned out so much like him. I could apologize every single day for the rest of my life and it would still not make up for how I've treated you. I truly am so sorry, Blaine. Not showing my love for you will always be my biggest regret. I don't expect you to forgive me. I only hope that you can find it in your heart not to hate me."

"I've never hated you, Dad," Blaine said sounding more like a little boy than a grown man. "I hated how you treated me most times, and I hated how I could never do anything right. But not once did I ever hate you. You're my dad. All I've ever wanted is to make you proud."

"I am proud," John told him. "You left here with nothing but your love of song and a backpack of clothes and not only have you made it, you're one of the biggest pop stars around. You're a truly magnificent performer, Blaine. I have never been more proud."

Blaine looked away, a small smile on his lips. "How would you know I'm a truly magnificent performer? My school plays were hardly any indication."

"I've been to several of your concerts, son," John admitted. Blaine looked up surprised. "I was at the Columbus one too, way in the back amongst the screaming girls. Your ability to put forth so much passion amazes me."

"Really?"

"Really," John nodded. "I know that we are far from being the family that we should've been years ago, but I would like to try. I've already lost so much time with you. Please, don't let us lose more."

"I'd really love that," Blaine said with a small smile. "As crazy as it sounds, I've missed you, Dad."

John laughed, unable to believe his son's words. "I've missed you too, son. I've missed your spirit, even though I never appreciated it before."

Blaine half shrugged. "They say you don't miss something until it's gone, right?"

"Right," John nodded. "Would youâwould you maybe like to stay for dinner? The three of us could catch up."

Blaine smiled wide and true and for the first time in years, John felt hope. "I'd love to."

A/N: I hope you liked the chapter! See ya next time. :)

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue

A/N: Hello my wonderfully patient readers! Thank you again for the love and support! You are seriously the absolute best!

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being such an awesome beta!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Blaine walked into Kurt's room with an easy going smile. Wordlessly he sat on the end of the bed and laid down next to Kurt, closing his eyes and exhaling slowly. Kurt looked up from his homework with an amused smirk. Blaine had called several hours earlier to invite him to dinner but he declined, needing the alone time to catch up with his homework. He could tell by Blaine's tone that things had gone better than expected and the peaceful smile on Blaine's face was all Kurt needed to know that dinner had also gone well.

"You know, I never imagined how easy it would be to go home," Blaine said in a hushed voice. "It was awkward at times, sure. But I didn't realize how much I truly missed my parents until I was there," he opened his eyes and looked at Kurt adoringly. "I missed you though. I wish you would've been there."

"I really needed to get this work done," Kurt told him, gesturing to the Chemistry book in his lap. "Besides, I figured it was important for you to spend some alone time with them."

Blaine nodded and rested his head back for only a moment. He glanced sideways at Kurt to see him diligently working on his assignment once more. He thought of his parents and how their love had always moved him when he was younger. His heart broke for their struggles now and he sincerely hoped that they were able to work things out. He reached for Kurt's left hand and lifted it off the book. Kurt watched with curiosity as Blaine undid his cuff, brought his hand towards his face, and kissed his wrist.

"You ok?" Kurt asked. The kiss was gentle but a little cautious and Kurt wondered what he was missing.

Blaine nodded, his nose nuzzling against his name. "My mom is falling out of love with my dad," he whispered and Kurt's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Her name is starting to fade from his wrist. The conjoined lines are all but gone at this point."

"Oh my god."

"Yeah," Blaine looked at Kurt with sadness in his eyes. "That's why he wanted to see me. He knew that if he didn't swallow his pride he would lose her." Blaine sat up, moved Kurt's homework aside, and swung his leg over Kurt's lap. He undid his own cuff and joined their hands together. "I don't ever want that to happen to us. I don't ever want to be like him."

"You aren't."

Blaine shook his head. "But I am. I don't always communicate the way I should and I'm just as stubborn."

"Neither do I," Kurt smirked. "And I'm pretty sure I'm just a tad more stubborn than you."

Blaine rolled his eyes playfully. "The point is, I don't ever want us to not talk things through because we're too stubborn to admit we're wrong. I don't ever want you to question our love because I shut you out."

"That's not going to happen," Kurt promised. "We're different, Blaine. You know that. The Mira would never have come to us if we weren't. And I'm not saying we won't ever fight or shut each other out. I'm saying that we'll work through it and whatever else the world throws at us because our love is unbreakable. Nothing is ever going to get in-between us."

"How can you be so sure?" Blaine questioned though in his heart he knew they would be ok.

"Because I have faith in you and in us and in our love," Kurt reached for his cheek to caress. "I'm never letting you go, Blaine, not ever. I promise."

Blaine leaned forward for what was meant to be a sweet kiss, but the moment their lips touched the air around them thickened, their heart beat's racing. Kurt pushed his work off the bed and moved so that they were lying down with Blaine on top. He wrapped his leg around Blaine's thigh and moved his hips expertly, moaning with want into Blaine's mouth. He could finish his homework tomorrow. Reassuring Blaine of their love was more important and he would gladly do it every single day for the rest of their lives.

Finn waited by his bedroom door for the first sign of Blaine. He had a favor to ask, or rather a promise he wanted to cash in on but he didn't want Kurt to know about it yet. His step-brother would surely stop him from asking if he knew. His birthday was the weekend after Valentine's Day and Finn wanted to do something special for Rachel, for them. He spent all week trying to find the right time but had yet to find a moment alone with Blaine. He hated to ask now with his parents surely on their way to join them for Friday night dinner, but Blaine was leaving in a week and the arrangements needed to be made. Blaine walked out of Kurt's room dressed in black slacks and a blue polo. Finn exhaled. It was now or never.

"Blaine," he called in a whisper. Blaine raised a curious brow and walked his way. "Where's Kurt?"

"In the shower getting ready for dinner," Blaine told him.

Finn nodded inside his room and Blaine walked in. He closed the door behind them, giving Blaine a goofy but nervous smile. "I know that you're probably trying to get like, emotionally ready for dinner tonight and this is totally shitty timing, but I have a favor to ask."

"Alright, what's up?"

"Ok so like, you remember how you yelled at Rachel and made her cry?" Finn asked awkwardly. "And you said you'd make it up to her?"

Blaine nodded slowly, "Yes."

"Ok well, I'm calling in that favor. As you know, it's Valentine's Day on Wednesday."

"Uh, huh."

"Well, it's also my birthday next weekend," Finn said with a bashful smile. "I really want to do something amazing for Rachel but I don't exactly have the money."

Blaine smiled with amusement. "Let me guess, you need my help paying for the hotel?" Finn nodded hopefully. "Here's what I'll do; I will make all the reservations for you and all you have to do is show up."

Finn's eyes widened with excitement. "Seriously?"

"Mhm," Blaine nodded. "Your birthday is Saturday so I'll make the dinner reservations for Friday and I'll book your hotel until Sunday. You can check out Monday morning."

"A whole weekend?!" Finn asked shocked. "I was just hoping for one night."

"You're turning of age, Finn, and Rachel's already 18. You two have been together for a while. I highly doubt you two won't bond this weekend and if you do, you need the privacy in order to really connect," Blaine said. "Honestly, I'm happy to do it. You and Rachel deserve a loving, sweet weekend away from your families."

Finn's smile was impossibly wide. "Thanks, bro. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem," Blaine assured him. He glanced at the time on his watch then looked up at Finn. "My parents will be here soon though so you might want to change."

Finn looked down at his jeans and t-shirt. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Nothing, except that Cheetos stains on the side."

Finn looked down again and saw the stain. "Crap. Ok, I'll change."

Blaine chuckled and headed towards the door. "Oh and Finn," Finn looked over at him from his closet. "I'm really happy for you and Rachel."

Finn blushed a little. "Thanks man. That means a lot." Blaine offered him a small smile and walked out.

Dinner started off incredibly awkward. From the moment John and Natalie arrived at the Hudmel home, Blaine went from his usual carefree self to stiff and worrisome. His anxiety over his parents meeting his new family was much higher than he anticipated and now that they sat across from each other at the dinner table, Blaine was at a loss as to how to incorporate both families. Finn and Kurt took their leads from Blaine and sat quietly, Finn even going as far as being conscious of how he ate. Burt sat at the head of the table watching his family and guests stare at their plates. This was not how dinner was supposed to go. Unwilling to let the awkwardness lie, he decided to break the ice.

"So boys," Burt directed at Finn and Kurt. "How's Nationals prep going?" Kurt and Finn glanced at each other and then at Blaine but neither said a word. "You guys still doing-"

"NO!" Finn and Kurt shouted simultaneously.

Natalie dropped her fork in surprise and John stared at them with an unreadable expression. Kurt shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "Dad, we are not discussing Nationals in front of the enemy."

Blaine's jaw dropped. "I'm the enemy now?" he asked feigning offense.

"Uh dude, yeah," Finn said. "You're giving those guys all your secrets to beat us. You are definitely the enemy."

"Now, now," John spoke, everyone's attention going to him. "You boys must understand that Blaine is simply giving his Alma Mater a few tips. There is no shame in that."

A small smile pulled at Blaine's lips. His father was defending him? That was new. "We understand that clearly, Mr. Anderson," Kurt said with a sideways glance at Blaine. "However, we cannot risk Blaine using our set list as a way to ensure Dalton's win."

Blaine scoffed. "As if I needed your set list," he teased. "Dalton has this in the bag."

Kurt turned a glare on him though his eyes sparkled with delight. "Is that so?" Blaine nodded confidently. Kurt and Finn shared a look. "If you say so," he sang.

"You're awfully cocky for someone who hasn't chosen a song yet," Blaine said pointedly.

Kurt shrugged, a smirk on his lips. He'd let Blaine think he was still struggling for his song choice. It would make beating the Warblers that much more satisfying.

"Are you going to Nationals, Blaine?" Natalie asked curiously. "Or does it cut in with your tour?"

"It's right at the end of the tour but we might be able to fly in for a night," Blaine told her. "We'll definitely be here for graduation though."

"Awesome!" Finn exclaimed. "What about prom? You guys are gonna perform right?"

Blaine looked at Kurt bemused while Kurt deadpanned Finn. "We're performing at your prom?"

"No," Kurt answered though Finn nodded yes. "Principal Figgins wanted me to ask but there's no way you guys can fly back here for that and Nationals. I'd rather you be at Nationals so that you can watch us annihilate Dalton," he teased. "Besides, I'm going to be too focused getting those last minute votes. I can't have you there distracting me."

"What makes you think you're going to win?" Finn asked seriously. "What if Rachel and I win?"

Kurt laughed out loud. "Yeah right, Finn. On what planet are you and Rachel going to beat me and Tana? We have king and queen locked in the bag."

"Don't be too confident, son," Burt warned. "You may lose."

Kurt shook his head. "Not gonna happen."

Burt turned to Blaine. "What about you, Blaine? Were you prom king in your day?"

"Of course he was," John answered for him. "Both our boys were. You can't beat the Anderson charm."

Blaine chuckled a little. "This is true. Cooper even tried to get elected after he already graduated."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Kurt laughed.

Burt turned to look at John who was watching Kurt and Blaine. "Blaine tells me you're the best financial analyst in the state, John."

Blaine caught his father's eyes and smiled a little. John smiled back, allowing himself to relax a bit. "I wouldn't say the best but I'm pretty good at what I do."

"Don't let him fool you, Burt. He could squeeze a quarter out of a penny," Blaine joked.

John smiled down at his plate. He couldn't believe that Blaine would talk his work up after so many years of it getting in the way of their relationship. "As I said, I'm pretty good at what I do."

"We should meet up," Burt said with a nod. "I'm always looking for a way to save some money."

John smiled at him. "We can definitely do that."

"But not right now," Carole cut in. "We are having dinner. No shop talk," she said with a pointed finger at Burt.

Burt pouted a little. "Yes, Mom," he teased, earning him a playful shove. "You like football, John?"

"Of course."

"Have you seen the mess that new coach at Ohio State created last season?"

John held up his hand. "I will not ruin my dinner talking about that man."

"Damn right!" Burt pounded the table. "I cannot believe they replaced Jacobson with that, that boy! I don't even want to call him a man. He's going to ruin the Buckeyes."

"Mhm," John agreed. "It's deplorable how he coached that team. He's killed any professional football future those boys had."

Burt nodded and scoffed. "That's for damn sure."

Blaine glanced at Kurt, just barely containing his grin. This was how he wanted dinner to go. This was how he wanted his families to be. Maybe he truly hadn't lost his family after all. Now all he needed to do was talk to Cooper and make sure his brother was on the same page. Blaine was done living in the past.

"Will we see you again before you leave?" Natalie asked hopefully as they hugged goodbye by the front door.

"I'll stop by once more before I leave," Blaine promised her.

"Make sure I'm home when you do," John said in a tone much softer than Blaine could ever remember hearing. "I would like to see you too."

Blaine parted from his mother and offered his father a gentle smile. "Of course. Maybe I can bring Kurt this time and you two can show him all my embarrassing baby pictures."

John laughed a little. "Sounds like a plan." They stood awkwardly for only a moment before John pulled Blaine into a hug. Blaine stiffened in surprise but allowed himself to fall into his father's unusually warm embrace. He couldn't even remember the last time his father hugged him. "I love you son," John whispered.

Blaine tightened his arms around his father, a single tear streaming down his cheek. "I love you too, Dad."

John held on for a second longer then pulled away. He gave Blaine a curt nod and escorted his wife out. Natalie side eyed John as they walked to the car. She was admittedly surprised by how well dinner had gone. In fact, she was surprised by how different her husband had been acting ever since Blaine and he talked things through. In many ways, his actions reminded her of the college boy she fell in love with.

"Jonathan," Natalie spoke with a softness in her voice that hadn't been there in a very long time. John turned to her with surprise. It had been quite a while since she had called him by his full name. "Why don't we go out for dessert?"

They reached the car and John placed his hand on her door handle but didn't open it. "You want to go get dessert?"

Natalie nodded with a sweet smile. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it? We shouldn't let it go to waste."

John smiled, bright and true, and Natalie sighed softly at the beauty. "I think that's a wonderful idea. Why don't we get some ice cream and then take an evening stroll?"

Natalie placed her left hand over John's heart, her gesture full of hope. "I'd love that."

Parrish barked at the door before the knock came. Sebastian looked at his dog and shook his head. "Why do you have to do that every single time?" he asked as he walked to his door. Parrish huffed at him and stepped back to let Sebastian open the door. "What's up, Drew?"

"A package came in for you," Drew answered with a nod to the large box. "You expecting anything?"

Sebastian shook his head bemused. He stepped outside and took a look at the writing. There was no return address but he recognized the penmanship easily. "I got it. I know who it's from." Drew nodded and walked away.

Sebastian lifted the box and brought it inside. He grabbed a pair of scissors and cautiously cut the packaging tape. Parrish wagged his tail excitedly as Sebastian opened the box to reveal its content. Inside was a guitar case engulfed in packaging material and a letter addressed to Sebastian in the zipper of the case.

"What the hell, Anderson?" Sebastian muttered with a smirk and pulled out the letter. Parrish stuck his nose inside the box and Sebastian snapped his fingers. "Don't even think about it," he warned.

Parrish stared at him then barked, his head resting on the edge of the box. Sebastian shook his head at the dog as he ripped Blaine's letter open.

Dear Sebastian,

Before you say anything, yes I know you prefer the drums to the guitar. I couldn't exactly airmail you a drum set though and personally, there's nothing more relaxing than laying back and strumming for a while. Besides, where would you keep the drum set?

Sebastian rolled his eyes and kept reading.

The reason I sent you this guitar, my guitar actually, is because I wrote a song on it for you and I felt that not only should you learn to play it, but you should play it on the very instrument that created the beautiful music.

I know it's hard being in London and away from us, from him, and I know that you hate how much you're struggling with everything. But hang in there Seb. You're going to make it through this. You and Hunter will make it through this.

Inside the zipper is a CD of me playing the song along with the sheet music. Learn it. Sing it. Allow yourself to drown in it. I have faith in you brother. Have faith in yourself.

Love,

Blaine

Sebastian set the letter down and reached inside for the CD and sheet music. He grabbed his laptop, put the CD in, and played it with his headphones on. He closed his eyes as Blaine's smooth vocals tugged at his heart strings, his soul. He shed several tears, the lyrics fitting so perfectly to how he felt. Blaine always had been a brilliant lyricist. Once the song was complete, Sebastian sent Blaine a quick text and grabbed the guitar case out of the box. He would have learnt the song by the end of the day.

Blaine was awoken Wednesday morning with Kurt's finger teasing his puckered hole and his hand stroking Blaine's cock. Kurt ditched school since it was Valentine's Day and Blaine was leaving at the end of the week, and there was no way in hell he was going to waste a moment of it. They had the house completely to themselves until Finn got home from school. Blaine arched his back at Kurt's touch, sleepily mumbling Kurt's name as a single digit entered inside him.

"Get on your stomach," Kurt demanded gently. Blaine happily obliged, his ass in the air desperate for more. Kurt settled in-between Blaine's leg and kissed down Blaine's taut muscles. "Such a good boy," he purred.

Kurt spread Blaine's ass cheeks apart and licked down the crack. Experimentally, he dove his tongue inside. Blaine mewled with pleasure, his hips gyrating against the mattress in rhythm with Kurt's tongue. Kurt pulled back and slapped Blaine's ass.

"Watch it now," he warned. "Don't you dare cum until I'm fully inside you."

"Kurt," Blaine whined. "That felt fucking amazing. Don't stop."

Kurt slapped Blaine's ass harder. "Is that how you ask me?" he asked lowly.

Blaine bit his lip and looked behind with puppy eyes. "Please, sir, may I have more?"

Kurt slapped the other ass cheek. "More what? Be specific."

Blaine gulped. "Will you lick my asshole, sir?" he asked with submission, knowing exactly how much Kurt loved it. "Please, sir?"

Kurt smiled devilishly. "Since you asked so politely."

Kurt kept eye contact with Blaine while his tongue stretched Blaine's hole. He would have to do this more often. The sounds Blaine made were simply pornographic. Blaine stopped rutting against the mattress and started fucking Kurt's tongue, his need to release overwhelming. Kurt pulled back and went to insert two fingers inside Blaine to finish stretching him but Blaine stopped him.

"No more teasing, please," he pleaded. "I need you."

Kurt smirked. If only Blaine knew exactly how much Kurt planned on teasing him today. Kurt reached for the bottle of lube he had set aside and coated his throbbing erection generously. He lined himself up and slowly pushed his cock inside. Blaine hissed at the slight burn but then moaned at being so completely full of Kurt. Nothing in the world felt better than Kurt's dick in his ass. Kurt placed his hands on Blaine's ass cheeks and squeezed as he pulled out then bucked forward. Profanities fell out of Blaine's mouth with every thrust. It wasn't long before Blaine came all over the sheets but Kurt didn't stop fucking Blaine, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he got closer to the edge. Blaine clenched around him and thrust his hips back against Kurt until Kurt spilled inside him, his name falling from Kurt's lips.

Kurt exhaled, pulling out his softening dick and flopping down on the bed. Blaine cuddled up next to him, draping his arm over Kurt's abdomen. "Best wake up ever," he said with a kiss to Kurt's collar bone.

Kurt nodded with a lazy smile. "Shower first then breakfast?"

"Sure," Blaine agreed.

Kurt kissed him on top of his forehead then got out of bed. Blaine watched him walk into the bathroom, his heart heavy with longing. His flight was in two days and he wasn't at all prepared to leave Kurt's side. He pushed the sadness away though. Today was not the day to dwell on his departure. He could sulk on the flight alongside David and Wes.

"What should I wear tonight?" Kurt wondered as he took a bite of his pancakes. "I don't want to dress too fancy but I want to leave a good impression too."

Blaine half shrugged. His feet were tucked underneath him and the food tray was set in-between them on top of Kurt's bed. Blaine got a spoonful of chopped up strawberries and held it up to Kurt's mouth. "Wear whatever makes you comfortable. It's just dinner."

Kurt took the bite with an eye roll. "It's not just dinner. It's dinner with your parents."

"Which we already did last Friday," Blaine reminded him.

Kurt shook his head. "That was different. I had my family there as a buffer. This is just us, in your childhood home, eating with just your parents. I have to dress properly."

Blaine tilted his head, an adoring look in his eyes. "Kurt, don't make this into a big thing. Honestly, whatever you wear will be fine."

"But I want them to like me," Kurt pouted. "The outfit can make or break a meal."

"They already like you," Blaine spoke sweetly. He reached over the tray to hold Kurt's hands. "My mom adores you. She said that you're a very well-mannered young man with an elegance that she wished she had."

"She did not say that."

"Yes, she did," Blaine chuckled lightly. "And my dad thinks you have a very strong, outspoken personality, which apparently is a very good thing for me. In fact, his exact words to me were, 'Kurt seems like the kind of man who appreciates discipline and that son, is something you need for when you have children. You'd spoil them if not for him. I'm certain of it'," he mimicked his father.

"Well, he is right about that," Kurt said with a cheeky grin. "I do appreciate discipline," he purred.

Blaine's cheeks turned a bright red and he glared at Kurt playfully. "The point is, my parents like you, a lot. They just want the chance to get to know you a little bit better. What you wear is not going to matter to them. Just be yourself."

Kurt nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Ok. I believe you. And since being myself is the most important thing, it's only fitting that I dress fabulously," he said with a flourish.

"Don't you always dress fabulously," Blaine teased.

"Totally irrelevant."

"Completely relevant," Blaine laughed. His phone chimed with a new message so he set his silverware down and reached for it. He smiled with delight at the message. "Seb got my package."

From: Sebastian Smythe

This is why you're my very best friend. Thanks B. You always know how to sort out my head.

To: Sebastian Smythe

Anytime Seb. Anytime. :)

"Did he like it?" Kurt asked curiously. Kurt had been moved to tears when Blaine played Sebastian's song for him before sending off the package. He couldn't even begin to truly grasp Sebastian's struggles.

"Mhm," Blaine said with a proud nod. "He said that this is why I'm his very best friend and that I always know how to sort his head."

"So what happens now?" Kurt asked, a new message coming in.

From: Sebastian Smythe

Do you think he got them yet? Are you sure this wasn't an awful idea?

It was an awful idea. I can't believe I let you talk me into that.

"Now, I step back completely," Blaine said while he replied to Sebastian. "He knows how he feels and how he shouldn't. It's his turn to make the final moves."

To: Sebastian Smythe

Dude relax. It's barely first period. I'm sure he'll text you when he gets them.

And I did not talk you into anything Smythe. You asked my opinion and I gave it. The choice was yours.

"I hope they work it out," Kurt pouted. "They deserve to be happy."

Blaine smiled at him. "Yes they do. I hope so too."

The end of first period was drawing near and Hunter was already dying to go home. He wasn't feeling this today. The hearts plastered everywhere, the young couples giving each other doe eyes, his fellow teachers talking about their Valentine's Day plans; he hated all of it. He had never been a fan of the holiday and this year was particularly hard. Sure, Sebastian and he were on the mend, but they still had a long way to go. Being apart from his soulmate on the day that was supposed to celebrate them was heartbreaking. Hunter was so down that he didn't even bother to scold the boys for passing notes in class. Today was not the day to care. He was too busy trying to hide the ache in his heart.

A knock on the door pulled Hunter out of his thoughts. Without looking up, he called out, "Come in."

"Hunter Clarington."

Hunter looked up at the unfamiliar voice and his jaw went slack when he saw the delivery man. "Yes?" he answered, his voice much shakier than he intended.

The delivery man walked over to his desk. "These are for you," he handed Hunter a bouquet of six flowers. "Sign here please." Hunter set the flowers down on his desk, ignoring the murmurs of his students, and signed the recipient sheet. "Happy Valentine's Day," the man smiled and walked out.

"Who are the flowers from?" one student asked.

"Your boyfriend? Girlfriend? Soulmate? Secret admirer? Secret lover?" another chimed in.

Hunter waved dismissively. "Get back to work gentlemen," he instructed though it lacked its usual conviction.

Hunter grabbed the envelope attached to the flowers and opened it.

My Dearest Hunter,

We may be far away and things are still a bit rough between us but I couldn't let today pass without letting you know how I felt.

The red rose represents my deep love for you. No matter what hardships we go through, I have and will always love you.

The lavender represents devotion. I am and will forever be devoted to you.

The carination represents pride. I'm proud of us and what we've accomplished in the past few months. I'm proud of you for being exactly who you are.

The coral bells represent challenge. Our love is the hardest challenge I've ever known. It's also the best.

The blue irises represent hope. I chose two because my hope for our love, our relationship, is what keeps me up at night. It's also what lulls me to sleep. It's what drives me to become a better man for you, for us.

I've never been good with words and I've never been a silly romantic. But when I think of you, all I want is to treat you like the prince that I know you are. I want that romantic movie scene with you. I want to grow old with you.

Happy Valentine's Day Darling. May it be our first of many.

Bas

"Mr. Clarington, are you crying?"

Hunter laughed to himself because yes, he was crying. He was crying tears of pain and joy and shock and confusion all at once. Sebastian sent him flowers. Sebastian actually sent him flowers and told him exactly why each flower was chosen. This had to be a dream.

"Are you ok, Mr. Clarington?"

Hunter could hear real concern and nodded. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just a little emotional right now, excuse me."

"Who are the flowers from?"

Hunter looked up to see his entire class eagerly awaiting the answer. He cleared his throat and wiped the tears away. "My soulmate. They're from my soulmate." The boys looked at each other with wide eyes. They had thought Hunter had yet to meet his beloved. "Yes, that's right, I know who my soulmate is. I have for a very long time. But just because I know him does not mean that everything went perfectly. Remember boys, soulmate or not, relationships take work."

The end of the period bell rang and the boys quickly stood to leave. Hunter brought the flowers to his nose and inhaled deeply. He grabbed his phone from inside his drawer and texted Sebastian.

To: Sebastian Smythe

Flowers huh?

From: Sebastian Smythe

Too much?

To: Sebastian Smyth

Not at all. They're beautiful Sebastian. Thank you.

From: Sebastian Smythe

You're beautiful.

You're welcome.

Call me tonight?

To: Sebastian Smythe

Definitely

Hunter set his phone down, an ease settling in his heart. Maybe Valentine's Day wasn't so bad after all.

"I love this episode," Blaine told his dad. They were sitting in the living room, each a beer in hand, watching an episode of White Collar. "Mozzie's conspiracy theories are the best."

"Agreed," John nodded. "Don't tell Cooper but Mozzie is my favorite character."

Blaine threw his head back with a laugh. "Are you kidding me? He's Cooper's favorite character."

"Good. Then I won't feel bad for saying so whenever he and I watch this," John smirked. "Although, I'm not entirely sure if or when that'll be. Your mother didn't even know I watched this show until recently. Though I didn't exactly share it with her either."

Blaine could clearly hear the regret in his father's voice. He smiled sadly at him. "What matters is that she knows now," John nodded but didn't take his eyes off the television. "When do you think dinner will be done?"

"Soon I hope. I'm starving," John looked past Blaine and towards the kitchen. "Should we worry about those two being in there by themselves?" he asked with a slight tease.

"Naw," Blaine chuckled. "I'm sure they're fine. If anything Kurt kicked Mom out of the way to cook. He likes to do that."

"He's a good man, Blaine," John spoke earnestly. "Don't make the same mistakes I did."

"I'll try my best not to," Blaine said with his eyes lowered. "We're a lot more alike than we think, you and me. I am my father's son."

"No, you aren't," Blaine met his father's eyes, feeling more like a kid than an adult. "You're a better man than me son, don't ever doubt that. I hope you know how incredibly proud of you I am, of you and Cooper. You both proved me wrong in more ways than you know. I'm blessed to have you as my sons."

Blaine smiled, his heart swelling with joy. "Thanks, Dad."

"I say give it another five minutes," Kurt said as he closed the oven. "It smells amazing."

"Thank you," Natalie smiled. "I've always loved cooking. I would've done it professionally if I could."

"Why didn't you?" Kurt inquired.

"It just wasn't in the cards for me," Natalie answered dismissively. "What about you? Blaine says you like to design clothes? Is that something you want to do for a living?"

Kurt nodded enthusiastically. "But not just clothes, interior as well. I love taking something that's plain and giving it a new life. Blaine doesn't know this yet, but I have our entire house already designed top to bottom right up here," he tapped his head.

"That's a good thing, believe me. Blaine has always made questionable choices when it comes to style," Natalie joked lightly. "Once, when he was about 6 or 7, he wore this blue and yellow striped shirt and these lime green pants, I still have no idea where they came from, for about a week straight," Kurt made a face or horror. "I could not for the life of me get him to take them off. I had to literally hold him down while Cooper undressed him."

"Poor baby Blaine," Kurt said with his hand over his heart. "He was so young, so lost."

Natalie giggled. "If you think that's bad, when he was 12, he-"

"What are you telling him, Mom?" Blaine's voice interrupted them, as he and John walked into the kitchen.

"Nothing," Kurt and Natalie said simultaneously.

"I thought you were watching TV?" Kurt asked.

"We were but we're hungry," Blaine pouted.

Kurt gave him a look and pecked his lips. "Why don't we set the table? Dinner's almost done."

"Ok, fine," Blaine said in a childish voice with a smirk on his lips.

John waited until Blaine and Kurt were out of the kitchen with the plates and silverware before approaching his wife. He held up his arm and she snuggled into him. "I like this," he spoke quietly. "Us and them. I could really get used to this."

Natalie smiled up at her husband. "Me too. Now we just need to get Cooper," she said with a pointed look.

John nodded almost as if he was a child being scolded. "I know. I'll talk to him soon."

"Good," Natalie leaned up a little and kissed John's cheek. "Will you get the drinks while I get dinner out?"

John kissed her forehead. "Of course. Anything for you, sweetheart. Anything for you."

Blaine and Kurt stood close together, their foreheads resting on each other. Blaine had less than five minutes before he needed to leave and they were desperate for every single moment. A part of Kurt was happy that Blaine was going. While it was amazing to have him around, it was also incredibly distracting. For the first time ever he was getting behind on his school work and he couldn't afford to have anything less than a perfect academic final year. But that didn't make saying goodbye any easier. He would miss their morning cuddles and their late night talks. He was going to miss simply being with his love. Blaine was also torn between excitement and sadness. While he was thrilled to continue the rest of their tour, he hated leaving Kurt's side. Being apart the first leg of the tour was one thing. They hadn't bonded yet and they were at least in the same country. But now he would be so much further away, too far, and their still newly created bond was not at all happy about his departure.

"You call me as soon as you land."

"I will."

"And be safe. Don't let David and Jeff convince you into doing something stupid and end up in the hospital."

Blaine lifted his head and looked into Kurt's eyes. "I won't," he promised. "You be safe too. Don't think that just because the fans and paparazzi left us mostly alone that you aren't in any sort of danger. There's a good chance that they'll take my leaving as a sign of vulnerability and they will harass you."

"I'll be careful. I promise."

Blaine kissed Kurt's lips gently, his love and devotion pouring through. "I love you," he whispered.

"I loved you, too," Kurt breathed.

"Blaine, we have to go!"

Blaine deeply inhaled Kurt's scent, embedding it into his mind. "I'll see you for Spring Break."

"I'll see you then."

"Blaine!"

With one more quick but heated kiss, Blaine grabbed his luggage and all but ran out of the bedroom door without a look back, knowing that with a single glance he would swoop Kurt into his arms and never let go. Kurt took a seat on his bed, his bedroom feeling a thousand times emptier without Blaine in it. He pulled out his phone and sent a group text to Santana, Quinn, and Brittany.

To: Unholy Bitches

He's gone.

From: Satan

Meet up at my place. Pick up some pizza Hummel. Make it extra fucking greasy. We'll get the cheesecake.

From: His Highness

Make it two. I'll need one just for myself.

A/N: I hope you liked it! See ya next time!

Quick note, I've started a new fic called The Pact. It only has the prologue up and I have no intention of updating until I have the story mostly completed, but feel free to check it out and let me know what you think of it. Thanks guys!

Time Apart

A/N: Hello my darling readers! I'm so sorry for the wait on this update. It's a transitional chapter so it took me a while to write it out. I'm still not totally happy with it but it's the best I got. I hope you guys like it.

Please be sure to read the note at the end of the chapter concerning the rest of the story.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being such a wonderful beta!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the imagination behind this plot.

Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose while Cooper yelled into his ear. He was sitting in an all black SUV at the private airstrip waiting on Wes and Vanessa so that they could head back to California to pick up the boys and drop Vanessa off. He should've known better than to expect anything other than a bad reaction. But he had assumed after a few minutes of being scolded Cooper would move on and accept what Blaine was telling him. Or at least he had hoped so. That wasn't at all the case. From the moment Blaine muttered the words, I reconciled with Dad, Cooper went off on a tirade. Fifteen minutes passed and Cooper was still ridiculously angry with him.

"How many more years of abuse are you going to take, Blaine?!" Blaine rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. "How much more will you take from him? I can understand wanting to reconnect with Mom but not with him! I can't believe you, B! I'm so disappointed! One conversation and he's father of the year?"

"I never said he was father of the year," Blaine said tiredly.

Cooper scoffed. "You're practically engraving the damn plaque yourself." Blaine huffed in aggravation. "Don't huff at me, Squirt. You know I'm right. It's like you've completely forgotten everything he's done to you."

"Alright, Cooper, enough!" Blaine snapped. "Stop talking to me like I'm some kid!" Cooper shut his mouth quickly. Blaine never yelled at him. "I haven't forgotten anything, I've moved on. It's what mature adults do. I never said he was father of the year nor did I ever say that I've forgiven him for everything but I'm at least trying and it's past due time that you did too!"

"How could you even say that to me?"

"How could you still hold a meaningless grudge over him?!" Blaine shot back.

Cooper gasped. "How can you say it's meaningless?"

"Because it is!" Blaine shouted. "I know the truth behind your fallout, Coop and it has nothing to do with him not supporting you as an actor!"

Cooper was silent for a moment. "What are you talking about?" He asked and Blaine could hear the slight tremble in his voice.

"I'm talking about how you lied to me," Blaine said firmly. "You made it seem like the fight you and Dad had was over something real and it wasn't. He told me what happened. He told me the reason you stopped talking to him is because he wouldn't give you money to go gallivanting in Ireland!"

"And you believed him?"

"Are you denying it?" Cooper stayed quiet. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

"I'm still right though," Cooper said petulantly. "He refused to help me fund my way there and I had a huge acting opportunity. And he's never accepted my career. You know that."

"He wouldn't pay for your trip because he knew that you would waste your time chasing girls rather than actually working. Also, did you forget that a week after you were supposed to leave for this trip you got an audition for Neal? Or the fact that once you landed the role you started going to the coffee shop around the corner from the lot? The same coffee shop where you met Monica?"

Cooper stammered. "Iâheâthat's beside the point!"

"That's exactly the point," Blaine said victoriously. He knew he'd won the argument. "Coop, you're not getting it. We're not kids anymore. We can't be angry with him for something that happened so many years ago."

"But I just don't understand," Cooper sighed. "I don't get how you've been able to let him in so effortlessly."

"I never said it was effortless. In fact, it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," Blaine spoke softly. "But he's our dad and believe it or not, he does love us." Cooper said nothing and Blaine knew he was still trying to grasp the idea of them getting along with their father. "Coop, Mom's name is fading from his wrist."

"What?" Cooper breathed.

"Yeah," Blaine answered sadly. He saw movement out of his peripheral and turned to see that Wes and Vanessa's car had arrived. "That's why he reached out to me in the first place, because he knew if he didn't he would lose her forever."

"Butâthey're Mom and Dad," Cooper said bemused. "They've always been everything I've aspired to be with Monica. Dad wasn't the best father most of the time but he's always been an incredible husband. How is this even possible?"

Blaine shrugged "I don't know but it is. He wants to do better, Coop, be a better person. He's finally swallowing his pride in hopes that we could be a family again. The least we can do is give him the chance."

"YeahâI guess you're right."

A knock on his window caught his attention and he turned to see Wes waiting for him. "I have to go. Wes and Vanessa are here. Just hear him out when he calls. Yell at him, fight with him, let him know how much he's hurt you, but please Coop, don't shut him out."

Cooper sighed. "Ok. Go catch your flight. Text me when you land in Columbia."

"I will," Blaine promised. "Love you, bro."

"Love you too."

Blaine and Wes quietly sat in their seats on the private jet while David continuously huffed and grunted under his breath. They ignored him despite being annoyed. They were just as frustrated as he was. But they didn't hurt as much as he did. They knew that for certain. So they kept their mouths shut and let David sulk the way he needed.

"Seriously where the hell are they?!" David snapped at no one in particular. "We were supposed to leave forever ago!"

Blaine and Wes shrugged. They should've been well on their way to South America already but Nick and Jeff were running late. They took a last minute trip to San Francisco for Valentine's Day and were supposed to leave early Friday morning in order to make their evening flight but got stuck in traffic. Blaine and Wes would wait patiently for their bandmates. But David was past his patience quota. He was desperate to get out of California. He hated leaving his girls but being in the same state as them, knowing they couldn't be together despite being so close, was the worst sort of torture.

"What's up, boys!" Jeff hollered as he and Nick walked in.

"Fuckin' finally!" David threw his hands in the air. "Let's get this damn flight going!" He yelled at the pilot.

"Someone's a cranky pants," Jeff teased in a baby voice. David picked up the magazine near him, rolled it up, and threw it at Jeff as he took his seat next to Nick. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Of course I'm fucking cranky!" David screamed at him. "I'm not just leaving my wife for four months, I'm leaving my daughter! I've barely slept in weeks, I've done nothing but take care of Elena every single night, not just so that Kat could rest, but so that I could spend every single moment possible with her, I've watched my wife pump her breasts for hours, I've lived and breathed nothing but diapers and butt paste since I've been home!" His voice cracked and Jeff knew just how serious he was. "I'm tired, bro. I'm tired and I miss my girls. So yes, I'm fucking cranky. Deal with it and leave me the hell alone." David turned away from Jeff and towards the window, his breathing labored. Don't cry, he thought to himself, don't start crying or you'll never stop.

Jeff glanced at Nick, Wes, and Blaine with a broken face. Without a word, Jeff got up from his seat and walked out of the plane. A few minutes later, he walked back in with David's blanket and Minnie Mouse plush toy Katherine had bought for him on their first date to Disneyland. He tapped David on the shoulder and held out his arms. "Here," he spoke softly. "Tony's loading our bags now and then we're taking off."

David took his blanket and Minnie Mouse. "Thanks. Sorry I yelled at you," he mumbled. Jeff waved dismissively and walked back to his seat.

Blaine and Wes glanced at each and both sighed. It was going to be a long flight.

"Blaine here and this is Where It All Began tour log numberâ" Blaine paused and moved the camera to Wes. "What number log are we on now?"

Wes scoffed, a smirk on his lips. "I have no idea. I lost count back at the 300s."

Blaine chuckled and turned the camera away from Wes and back to the aisle. "Let's call this overseas log 1," he said and Wes muttered in agreement, "and we are currently on our way to South America." Blaine stood up and walked over to Jeff and Nick. "Here's Niff being all cuddly. Say hello boys."

"Hello boys," Jeff smirked.

"Hey everyone," Nick greeted sleepily.

"And over here," Blaine walked over to David, "is an exhausted David passed out."

"Who's my pretty girl," David muttered in his sleep. "You're my pretty girl."

Blaine laughed a little and turned the camera on himself. "David's missing his baby girl something terrible right now. He's been muttering baby talk for over an hour." Blaine turned the camera back around as he walked to his seat. "So Wes, how are you feeling?"

"Tired. Anxious. Ready to get this tour underway," Wes answered him with a small smile.

"Anything you wanna say to the fans?"

Wes shrugged a little. "Just thanks I guess. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you guys."

Blaine stopped recording and set the camera down, a sigh escaping his lips. "I wish Kurt was here."

"I wish Vanessa was here," Wes countered. "I'm trying to be excited but I just can't right now."

Blaine nodded. "Same. I don't know how you and David have handled this all these years. Being bonded and this far apart sucks."

Wes sulked further into his seat. "It really does. We should get some sleep while we can. We have a long day tomorrow."

Blaine nodded and yawned. "That we do. Night Wes," he said and rested his seat back.

Wes followed suit, pulling the blanket on his lap over his chest. "Night, B."

Kurt's first week at school without having Blaine to come home to was absolute hell. While no one said anything to him with his personal body guard still on school grounds, the whispers and stares doubled. His friends continuously sent him pitiful looks and ever since Rachel and Finn bonded, they'd been so sickeningly sweet that Kurt wanted to gauge his eyes out. He hadn't been sleeping well without Blaine's warm embrace and he was much further behind on his school work than he originally thought. What made it worse was that he hadn't shed a single tear. He had prepared himself for hours of crying but his emotions were locked away tight and all he'd done since Blaine left was bitch about anything and everything. His life seriously sucked right now.

Just like Blaine had predicted, his being gone made everyone think Kurt was somehow more vulnerable and the local reporters had taken to hiding out in his neighborhood and near the school. They even went as far as stalking his father's shop in hopes to find their newest headline and it was starting to get on Kurt's very last nerve. It wasn't until Friday though that Kurt had his first real interaction with any of them.

He was sitting on the bleachers during lunch scrolling through tumblr, smiling proudly at all the new pictures of the guys. Blaine and he had barely talked since they'd left simply because of The Warblers' schedule but they text throughout the day and Kurt clung to every new photo that surfaced online. He heard someone walk his way and looked up to see Dave.

"I'm in major bitch mode today, Dave," Kurt warned him. "I don't know if talking to me is the best idea."

Dave simply shrugged, a crooked smile on his lips. "You're always in bitch mode. I'm used to it."

Kurt glared for only a moment before shaking his head. "I guess that's true," he chuckled. He moved his books aside and Dave took a seat next to him. "What's up?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to talk," Kurt raised an inquisitive brow. "I told my parents."

Kurt's jaw dropped. "You did?" he asked with shock and Dave nodded with pride. "How did it go?"

"My mom thinks I've been tainted by the devil or something," Dave said rolling his eyes. "But my dad was really supportive. How they feel doesn't even matter to me though, not really. I only told them because I couldn't stand hiding anymore. I need to be proud of who I am, for both myself and for him."

"Well, I'm really proud of you too," Kurt said sincerely. "It was very brave of you to tell them."

"Thanks," Dave said bashfully. "I uh, I told Finn, Sam, Mike, and Puck too, when the other guys were on the field. They gave me a group hug," he laughed. "We're all going to hang out this weekend and just talk. There's shit between us that has to be settled, ya know? And they're willing to give me a shot so, yeah." Kurt couldn't contain his excited grin. Never in a million years did he think Dave Karofsky could be this brave. "I've been writing a lot more too. I have like, eight shoe boxes filled with letters to him."

"That's really wonderful, Dave," Kurt smiled. "I'm sure he's going to love that you've taken so much effort to better yourself."

Dave nodded a little. "That actually brings me to why I'm really here. I was hoping you could do me a favor."

"Sure."

"I heard Finn tell Puck that you two were going to London for Spring break and it got me thinkingâwould you, if isn't too much trouble, if you ever meet him, will you tell me?"

"You want me to tell you if I meet your soulmate?" Kurt asked surprised. "Don't you want to meet him naturally?"

"Not really," Dave answered truthfully. "I mean, if I have the chance to meet him because someone else met him first then I don't see why I shouldn't. And you're the only person who knows his name, you're the only person I trust with this. I don't want to use the search system either cause it seems so impersonal. Plus I figured you'll be traveling all the time with Blaine and you'll end up meeting a shit ton of people, so I thought, hey why not? Why not use the best advantage?"

Kurt exhaled slowly. "Well, I can't promise you that I'll find him, but if I ever meet him I'll let you know."

Dave smiled shyly, his eyes downcast softheartedly. "Thanks, man."

"Sure thing," Kurt smiled. Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement. He turned towards the football field and his face dropped. There was a man dressed in McKinley football attire taking photos of them. "Hey scumbag!" Kurt shouted. "Try a better disguise!"

Dave turned to the field. "Umâis that paparazzi?"

"Yes," Kurt all but growled. "I can just see the headline now, 'Blaine Anderson's soulmate found fornicating with an unidentified male'. Or something like, 'Kurt Hummel trades superstar soulmate for secret affair on the school bleachers'!"

"Is our picture going to be in the newspaper?" Dave asked panicked as Kurt gathered his things.

"Probably," Kurt muttered and stood up. "Let's go in before I give this guy a real headline."

"Like what?" Dave questioned with a smirk. "Kurt Hummel pummels photographer in the head with a History book?"

Kurt laughed for the first time all week. "I like that actually."

"Where's your bodyguard anyway?" Dave asked looking around.

"Probably in the nurse's office," Kurt told him. "I think she might be his soulmate. He's been going in there quite a bit since Wednesday."

Kurt and Dave walked down the bleachers and the photographer made no attempt to hide his true nature. Kurt flipped him the bird and kept walking. If they wanted a headline then he at least hoped it was somewhere along the lines of him not taking any bullshit from them.

Just like Kurt had expected, the front cover of the local paper the next morning was of him and Dave talking with the headline, Kurt Hummel's Mysterious Beau. The media went into such an uproar that Kurt ended up having to make a statement on twitter about how Dave was one of his close friends and nothing more. Kurt knew it would all blow over until the next big thing but Dave's reputation at school took a turn they hadn't expected. While his usual friends questioned their friendship, insinuating that he was gay and that something was going on with Kurt, the rest of McKinley was suddenly desperate to be his best friend. Dave hated the attention he was getting. All he wanted was to get through senior year unscathed and now he felt as though he was some animal at the zoo the passerby's stopped to point at. Being friends with Kurt was going to be much more difficult than he ever imagined.

The next several weeks passed by routinely. Kurt woke up earlier than usual in order to talk with Blaine for a little while, he'd go to school, have either Cheerios practice or Glee club rehearsal, then come home to do his homework, eat dinner, and go to sleep. He didn't mind the routine too much. It was simple and it kept his mind off of missing Blaine. What he did mind, however, was the fact that he hadn't cried once since Blaine left. He missed his love deeply and was desperate to be in his arms. But Kurt's emotions were locked away and no matter how hard he tried, he could not cry. It was driving him absolutely crazy. Emotions he could handle. Crying so hard that his whole body ached was something he had prepared for. But since he couldn't cry, all he really felt was anger and frustration, and it was starting to get to him. He wasn't sure how much more he could take before he reached his breaking point.

The Warblers' schedule had been nonstop from the moment they landed in South America. If they weren't rehearsing their new setlist, they were doing interviews or fan events, or they were sleeping in whatever corner they could find. Blaine was exhausted. While their overseas part of the tour was a lot of fun, it was also much busier than the American tour and Blaine felt as if he was running on fumes. It didn't help that he was missing Kurt terribly. Every night he went to sleep with tears in his eyes and every morning he awoke with his phone held tightly in his hand until Kurt called. He hated how off their schedules had been the past few weeks, especially with the media surrounding Kurt like vultures. Blaine was still pissed about the article of Kurt and Dave. It was one thing to make up stories about Kurt for hits, but to bring Kurt's friends in who had nothing to do with their relationship was unacceptable.

Blaine held his anger back though and let Kurt handle the paparazzi. For one, there was nothing he could do from so far away and two, after a long discussion, Kurt and he decided that Kurt needed to take the reins when it came to the media about him.

"They're never going to take me seriously if you come to my rescue," Kurt had told him. "I love that you want to protect me but-"

"But you can protect yourself," Blaine replied with a small smile and a sigh. "I know you can, love. Just be careful."

Blaine's favorite thing about Kurt was his fierce personality and he knew that if he continued to save the day, that fierceness that burned inside Kurt would slowly dissipate. He needs me to be his prince, not his savior, Blaine constantly told himself. And so he stayed away from social media and ignored everything that was written about his love the best he could. If something truly awful happened then Kurt would tell him. The rest didn't matter.

Two Monday's before Spring Break, the teachers had a conference day so Kurt and Finn stayed home. Well, Kurt stayed home. Finn left early in the morning with Rachel and plans of not coming back until dinner. Their parents were working and his usual bodyguard Jeremy was spending the day with his soulmate, the school nurse. Kurt spent an entirety of thirty minutes home alone before deciding he needed to get out. The house was too quiet and it didn't take long for him to feel caged in. He could call one of the two other security guards that lived down the street from him. He knew he should call, especially with the media circling around him like a hawk lately. But he chose not to. He didn't want to be a bother and he didn't need a babysitter.

He decided he would go to the Westerville shopping district for two reasons. One, he knew that the Lima mall would be littered with kids from school and he didn't want nor need the attention. Two, he figured once he did some shopping, he could call Natalie and maybe have lunch with her. With his disguise ready, a hat, scarf, and sunglasses, he left for Westerville for the day.

Kurt's shopping trip had been a successfully quiet adventure. He bought a few clothing items for his trip to London and for the upcoming Panic! At the Disco concert, he found Quinn's birthday present, and he made sure to bring absolutely no attention to himself as he walked from store to store. For the first time in weeks he felt relaxed, at least enough to hold him over until Spring Break. As he was leaving his final store however, things took a turn for the worst. The woman at the register had recognized him the moment she saw him walk in and couldn't help but alert all of her friends that Blaine Anderson's soulmate was shopping in her store. When he walked out, he was met by no less than a dozen fans and a handful of photographers.

"Kurt, is it true you're having an affair on Blaine with one of your teachers?" one reporter asked.

"Is Blaine as kind as he seems or is he a diva like so many claim?" another questioned.

"Kurt, take a picture with me!" one fan shouted.

"Can I have your autograph?" another asked.

"You're a fraud!" someone in the back of the crowd shouted. "Sebastian is Blaine's true love!"

"Kurt, over here!"

"Kurt, please can I have a hug? I love you so much!"

"Kurt!"

"Kurt!"

"Kurt!"

Step by step Kurt walked backwards as the crowd bombarded him. He held his arm up in defense as the flashes went off when suddenly he felt someone grab him.

"Get the fuck off me!" he shouted waving his arms manically until the person let him go and bolted down the street.

Years of Sue's exercise regime paid off, his legs running faster than they ever had and the crowd chasing him getting further away. He turned into an alleyway and onto the next street, running inside a book shop and crashing straight into an old man who was taking out the trash.

"I need to hide!" Kurt nearly shouted. "Please, I'll pay you whatever you want! Just please hide me!" The man looked at Kurt questionably before nodding and turning on his heel. Kurt followed him towards the register where the old man nodded behind the counter. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Kurt sat on the floor, his back pressed against the wall and his knees pulled up to his chest. He took deep, slow breaths to calm himself. What had he been thinking coming to Westerville on his own? This would have never happened if he had called one of the security guards. With a shaky hand, he pulled out his cell phone and called Natalie.

"Hi, you've reached Natalie. I can't get the phone right now but if you-"

Kurt cursed under his breath, ended the call, and called the Anderson home.

"You've reached the Anderson residents."

"Fuck," Kurt muttered and hung up.

"Hey, kid," Kurt looked up alarmed, only to breath out when he saw the old man had returned from taking the trash outside. "Everything alright?"

"No, yes," Kurt stammered. "I'm so sorry for this. I needed to get away quickly and this was the first place I saw. I swear I'll be out of here as soon as I can."

The man eyed him for a moment, glanced outside his shop, then walked around the counter and took a seat at the chair. "That crowd running down the street for you?" Wordlessly Kurt nodded. "Well they asked if I'd seen you and I said no, so you'll be safe here."

Kurt smiled softly. "Thank you so much. Is there anything at all I could do to repay you?"

The man contemplated the question before answering. "Yeah, why don't you take one of those selfie photos with me and put on that tweedy bird website," Kurt raised his brows in surprise. "My granddaughter is a huge fan of that Warbler of yours."

Kurt nodded with understanding. "Of course, absolutely. Anything, Mr. â"

"You can call me Al."

"Al," Kurt smiled, reaching over to shaking his hand. "Thank you again."

"It's no problem," Al waved dismissively. "You got someone to come get you?"

"Iâyeah," Kurt nodded. "I just need to make a call."

Al stood up from his seat. "I'll give you some privacy. I'll go turn the closed sign off and lock the door until you're able to go."

"Thank you," Kurt breathed out. Al sent him a small smile and walked off. Kurt scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he needed and dialed. "Please pick up," he whispered.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Montgomery?" Kurt voice was shaky. "It's Kurt. I need your help."

Mrs. Montgomery hurried Kurt inside Dalton, keeping an eye out for anyone that could've followed them. "You poor boy," she said, her arm linked with his. They hadn't said a word to each other the entire drive there, Mrs. Montgomery too focused on getting Kurt out safely. "That must have been so scary."

"It was," Kurt glanced at her, his tone full of regret. "I don't know what I was thinking going by myself."

Mrs. Montgomery squeezed his arm comfortingly. "All that matters now is that you're safe," she led him to a classroom and knocked on the door. "I'm going to leave you here with Mr. Clarington until your father gets here. I already told Mr. Clarington what happened before I left. I'd have you stay in my office but I have counseling sessions set up all afternoon."

"It's alright, Mrs. Montgomery," Kurt assured her as Hunter opened his door. "I'm so sorry for taking you away from work. Everyone else I could call was just too far away."

"It's alright dear," Mrs. Montgomery smiled softly. She turned to Hunter. "Will you please escort him outside when his father calls?"

"Of course," Hunter nodded.

"Ok," Mrs. Montgomery breathed out. She gave Kurt a quick hug before scurrying off.

"Let's get you of the hallway before someone sees you," Hunter said with a nod inside his empty classroom.

Kurt quickly walked in. "I'm sorry if my being here is going to cause problems, Mr. Clarington."

"You're ok," Hunter told him as he closed and locked the door. "I don't have any classes this afternoon so you're not disturbing me," Kurt took a deep breath and nodded, taking a seat in the front row. "And call me Hunter, please. I'm not your teacher and you're my brother's soulmate. I think that surpasses any formalities."

Kurt offered him a grateful smile as Hunter took a seat at his desk. Kurt set his bags on the floor and allowed himself to relax. He felt out of place at the prep school, but was surprisingly comfortable with the idea of spending the rest of his afternoon with Hunter. He pulled out his cell phone and went into his twitter app. He thought about what to write for only a moment before starting a new post. The media would surely be spinning the story and he wanted to be sure that his words were heard first.

KurtHummel : To the mob that chased me down the street today when I was shopping, you lose.

KurtHummel : This shoutout goes out to the lovely Al for saving me today. Thank you. You're my hero. [picture]

As Kurt tweeted and answered questions from fans about what happened, Hunter texted Sebastian.

To Sebastian Smythe:

Kurt's in my classroom right now. Apparently he went shopping by himself and got mobbed.

A few minutes later, Hunter's phone was ringing. "Hello?" he answered quietly.

"What the hell do you mean Kurt was mobbed?!" Sebastian shouted into his ear.

"Hello to you too, Sebastian. How are you this fine afternoon?" Hunter replied with a smirk, glancing up at Kurt who looked up at him.

Sebastian grunted. "Yes, hi Hunter. I'm fine. How are you? What do you mean that Kurt was mobbed?" he said in a rush.

"I mean just that," Hunter told him. "He's sitting right in front of me if you want ask him yourself." Kurt made a face that Hunter found entirely too amusing.

"Put him on."

Hunter took the phone off his ear and held it out to Kurt. "Sebastian would like to speak with you."

Kurt cringed. "Crap," he muttered as he stood from his seat. Cautiously he grabbed Hunter's phone and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"What happened? Are you ok?"

Kurt sighed. Something told him he'd be answering those two questions a lot in the upcoming days. "Yeah, I'm ok. I came to Westerville by myself to shop and the stupid bitch at the last store I went to must've recognized me because as I was leaving I was bombarded by a bunch of fans and photographers."

"Are you crazy?!" Sebastian shouted in his ear. "What were thinking not taking a body guard? Did you forget who your soulmate is?"

"No, I didn't forget," Kurt snapped at him. "I just wanted to get out of the house and everyone was busy. I didn't want to bother anybody."

"Why weren't you in school in the first place?"

"Our teachers had a conference day," Kurt answered tiredly. "Look, I'm sorry, ok? I wasn't thinking. But can you not yell at me? I got enough of it from my dad when I called him, I'm sure he'll yell at me some more when I get in the car, and I don't even want to think about how Blaine's going to react when he finds out."

Sebastian was quiet for a moment. "Fine," he huffed. "I won't yell at you. But I hope you learned your lesson."

"Can't go anywhere or do anything ever because my soulmate is a rockstar," Kurt said dryly. "Yeah, lesson learned."

Sebastian chuckled. "Alright, Hummel. I'm done with you. Give the phone back to Hunter please. And I'm glad you're ok."

"Thanks," Kurt muttered before handing Hunter his phone.

Hunter took it and watched with an amused smirk as Kurt sulked back over to the desk. "Hey."

"Is he ok?"

"Yeah," Hunter answered, his eyes on Kurt who was resting his head on his arms. "I think he's just overwhelmed by the reality of the situation."

"That's an understatement," Kurt spoke into his arms.

"Blaine's going to flip out," Sebastian said. Hunter could hear the movement and chatter of the crew around him. "I have to go. I'm in the makeup chair right now and I have a scene to film here in a minute. Call you tonight?"

"Definitely," Hunter smiled a little. "Have a good day."

"You too. Miss you."

Hunter's smile widened. "Miss you too. Bye."

He ended the call and looked up at Kurt. This was the first time they'd been in the same room since Regionals but he wasn't uncomfortable. If anything he was curious. He didn't see a student or the Warblers' competition sitting in front of him. He saw his friend's soulmate, his soulmate's friend, and the person who at the end of the day, he probably related to the most. "Having a soulmate who's famous isn't all that it's cracked up to be, huh?"

Kurt glared up at him then laughed humorlessly. "No it isn't. Just wait until you and Sebastian go public."

Hunter smiled to himself. That would undoubtedly be one of the best days of his life. "Well, when that happens, I'll be sure to ask for your advice."

Kurt offered him a small smile. "Hopefully by then I'll know what the hell I'm doing."

Hunter laughed a little. "If not then we can figure out it together," he spoke softly.

Kurt nodded and sighed. "Yeah, we could be the husbands of Beverly Hills."

Hunter didn't bother to hold back his smile. As silly as it sounded, despite the argument they once had about Hunter leaving Dalton for him, being Sebastian's Beverly Hills husband had a nice ring to it.

An hour later, Kurt was getting into his father's truck. "If you're going to lecture me then please do it now," he mumbled as he put his seatbelt on.

"I'm not going to lecture you," Burt said, his tone soft. Kurt looked up at him with sad eyes. "Something tells me you've lectured yourself enough."

Kurt huffed and looked away. "I'm so stupid. I don't know what I was thinking going by myself. Blaine's going to be furious with me."

Burt gave a small smile, reached over to ruffle his hair, and turned the engine on to leave. "We'll send Finn and Jeremy to pick up your car later."

Kurt nodded wordlessly, slumped into his seat and glanced out the window, waving goodbye to Hunter who was standing on the front steps of the school. All the stress, all the anger and longing he felt came crashing down and finally, after weeks of trying, the tears streamed down his cheeks. It was going to be a long drive home.

The Warblers were doing a live interview that afternoon about their upcoming concert when the host began asking questions about their soulmates. They talked about how much more Wes, David, and Blaine missed their loved ones whenever Nick and Jeff were affectionate and they discussed how badly David wished he could witness all the new things his baby girl was doing. It was a pleasant interview and none of the questions were too intrusive. But it all came to a screeching halt when Blaine was asked about Kurt's latest run in with the paparazzi.

"Now Blaine, how has your schedule specifically worked with Kurt's? I can only imagine that with him being in school it makes it all that much harder to keep in touch."

"It really does," Blaine said with a small pout and the crowed cooed. "And not just school, but he works at his dad's auto shop sometimes plus both his glee club and cheerleading team are getting ready for Nationals. While these two," he nodded towards David and Wes, "have a set schedule of when to talk with the girls, Kurt and I only really talk when the opportunity presents itself."

"But they text all the time," Jeff cut in. "Seriously."

"We have countless footage of Eric yelling at Blaine to get back to rehearsal or to finish getting ready because he's too buys texting," Nick teased lightly.

"Hey man, I gotta get my Kurt time somehow," Blaine defended with a smirk.

"And the last time you spoke with Kurt was when? This morning?"

The guys glanced at each other curiously, unsure of why the interview suddenly focused purely on Kurt and Blaine. "That's right, this morning," Blaine answered nonetheless.

An almost evil smile spread across the host's face. "So you're unaware of the incident?"

Blaine looked over at Eric who looked like he was seething. "Incident?" he questioned, his brows furrowed and his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

"Let's roll the clip," the host called out. The guys and the audience members all turned their attention to the TV. "This was taken earlier today by a fan that simply wanted a picture. But if you keep watching you'll see that not only did he refuse to take pictures, but he actually yells at them to back off." Blaine's breathing became labored as the clip played. He could see the shock and fear in Kurt's eyes, and just like the host said, Kurt screamed at someone to let him go. The video ended and the host turned to Blaine. "He later tweeted this," the host pointed at the screen. "Does Kurt have a history of anger? Why was he so adamant on not giving your fans any attention? Is he bitter towards them? And this tweet with the hashtag, you lose, is this all just a game to him?"

Blaine cleared his throat, his composure calm despite the anger and fear that boiled inside him. "You know, videos like these are funny in a way. They never show the whole story and they always shine a negative light. My Kurt is one of the most positive people I have ever met in my entire life. He's kind and generous, and he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He's also strong willed and he's not the type of person to take any kind of bullshit," the crowd murmured at Blaine swearing. "He's not an angry person and he's certainly not bitter towards my fans. He adores my fans. All you have to do go through his tweets and you'll see just how well he connects with them. As far as him thinking this is some game, all I have to say to that is that in a lot of ways it is. The media and the paparazzi love to play with celebrities' lives, it's their job to. My advice to the paparazzi, and anyone else who thinks they can make a quick buck off of my soulmate, is not to play against him because they will lose."

The host raised his hands in the air in surrender. "Well, well, touchy subject," Blaine gritted his teeth though he wore a smile. "That's all we have time for today though. Thank you for joining us today gentlemen and I look forward to your show tomorrow."

Blaine waited until they were all safely inside their hotel room to explode. "Why the hell didn't you tell me what happened?!" he shouted at Eric accusingly.

"I had just barely found out about it myself, Blaine. I was going to tell you when we got back," Eric said as Blaine roughly opened his suitcase to grab his laptop.

"What happened?" Blaine demanded.

"He went shopping on his own and someone recognized him," Eric explained. "He was bombarded the moment he walked out of the store."

"Where is my computer," Blaine growled to himself as he shifted through clothes.

"B, calm down," Wes tried to soothe him.

"Oh you calm down," Blaine barked back, finding his laptop at the bottom of the bag. "Where the hell was Jeremy in all this?" he directed at Eric who merely shrugged. "Forget it."

Blaine didn't bother to close his suitcase before hurrying into one of the rooms for privacy. The guys glanced at each other warily. "Are we about to witness our first Klaine fight?" Jeff asked half teasing half serious. David walked past him and smacked him on the head. "Ow! I was only kidding, jeez."

Blaine only had to wait a few rings before Kurt answered his Skype. "Hey, ba-"

"What happened today?!" Blaine cut in angrily.

Kurt cringed at the tone and volume of Blaine's voice. "I'll gladly tell you but can you not yell at me right now please? I have an excruciating headache."

Blaine took a short breath and tempered his tone. "What happened today, Kurt? I want to know everything."

"I made the mistake of going shopping in Westerville alone and some fans found me. I tried to stay calm but someone grabbed me and I panicked. Next thing I know I'm hauling ass down the street. Then I hid in a bookstore until Mrs. Montgomery came to get me and then I spent the afternoon at Dalton with Hunter, where he told Sebastian and Sebastian yelled at me," Kurt said in one breath. "I'm sorry if I worried you, but I'm ok I promise."

"Where was Jeremy?"

"I gave him the day off."

"And you couldn't call Dana or Joe who are right down the street?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I didn't want to bother them."

"It's their job to protect you!" Blaine shouted, all patience gone. "You're not bothering them! They're getting paid good money to keep you safe, not sit on their asses!"

"I didn't want a babysitter!" Kurt yelled back, his voice cracking.

"They're not babysitters, Kurt! They're your body guards for a reason! How could you be so stupid?!" Blaine regretted the words the instant they came out of his mouth.

Kurt's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with shock. "I don't know, Blaine. How could I be so stupid? Maybe as stupid as you were when you decided to dedicate a song to me in front of millions of people who you know would be dying to find out who I was! What I did was impulsive, just like you were impulsive. But you making an impulsive choice is romantic. Me being impulsive makes me stupid and why? Because I wanted to feel the least bit of normalcy!"

Blaine's anger quickly disappeared at the broken look on his love's face. "Kurt."

"I have spent all day beating myself up over this," Kurt continued with tears running down his cheeks. "I've done nothing but cry and think about how much worse it could've all been, and all I wanted was to end my day by telling you how much I missed you and how badly I wish I was there. But no, instead I'm crying all over again because you felt the need to yell at me for a mistake I already feel awful about!"

"Kurt," Blaine said again, his tone soft and full of regret. "I'm sorry. I never should've called you stupid. You are far from it. I was just blindsided by what happened at the interview we were doing and I was scared and I took it on you. I shouldn't have done that."

Kurt waved him off, too tired to stay angry. "It was stupid of me," he said sullenly. "I don't know what I was thinking. I've just felt so caged in lately and when I saw the chance to get away, I took it. Trust me, I learned my lesson," Blaine pouted a little at the bitterness in Kurt's tone. "I'm sorry for calling your dedication stupid. It wasn't. It was romantic and one of the best nights of my life."

"That dedication was stupid of me," Blaine said with a smirk. "But I would do it all over again to see your face light up. I never should've blown up at you though."

"I expected you to," Kurt shrugged a little.

"Still. I'm sorry," Blaine said, his heart breaking. He wished more than anything that he could hold Kurt in his arms.

"I'm sorry too," Kurt sniffled. "I hate this. I hate being away from you."

Blaine sighed longingly. "I know. I do too. Just hang in there. We see each other in like two weeks, and then after that the time will just fly by. Next thing you know it'll be graduation day and then we'll be soaking up the sun at the beach house."

"I like the sound of that," Kurt smiled softly. "I love you so much, Blaine. I promise not to go anywhere alone again."

"I just want you to be safe, Kurt."

"I know."

Blaine sighed again. The next two weeks were going to be torture. "I love you too, always and forever."

Kurt wiped the tears away and took a deep breath. They could make it to Spring Break. They had to. "Always and forever."

A/N: Since this story is officially coming to a close, there are approximately 9 chapters left, I have decided not to update again until I have completely finished writing it. That way I can update twice a week until the story is over. It will be a while until I update again but I promise that the last chapters will be worth the wait.

I love you all dearly! See you soon!

Breaking Free

A/N: Hello my beautiful darlings! In case you're wondering if I've completed the story and that's why I'm posting, the answer is, no I have not. I really shouldn't post this yet but I worked so hard on getting this particular chapter just right that I need to share it with you. After this there really will be no updates until I complete the story. I truly appreciate all the love and patience. I couldn't ask for better readers. I love you all dearly.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for hanging in there with me.

The songs featured in this chapter are JT's Amnesia and Drink You Away! :-D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the imagination behind this plot.

The shouting could be heard from down the hall as Rachel and Santana tried to drown each other out. Kurt was lying on the floor at the top step of the choir room, his earbuds in, his music full blast, and still he could hear the two going at it. It wasn't their usual squabble; Rachel wanting to steal the spotlight while Santana held onto it for dear life. This time it was the exact opposite. Rachel insisted that they do a group number and a duet between Santana and Quinn while Santana argued that choice didn't feel right, though she offered no other options.

With Nationals right around the corner they were all desperate to find the right songs and the right routine that would put Dalton to shame. But in their usual fashion, they couldn't come to a unanimous decision. Except for Kurt's song that was. Kurt would be opening their performance with a ballad that would surely make every audience member yearn for their love, but the songs that followed were completely up in the air.

Kurt wanted nothing more to do with it. At least not right now. The incident in Westerville had opened a can of worms and local reporters were practically stalking his every move. The past two weeks had been nothing but avoiding paparazzi, mouthing off to those who dare get close enough, and he was way past being patient. He was desperate to get out of town, get away from the gossiping, the looking over his shoulder, and the overbearing best friend that refused to leave his side. He loved Santana. She was his soul sister. But Kurt felt like she was suffocating him. Santana had decided that she would be his personal guard, as if she could really do anything about the mess around him, and if she didn't back off he was seriously going to kill her.

Kurt was tired. He was tired of the photographers and the articles about him. He was tired of his friends arguing or trying to comfort him. He was tired of being away from Blaine. So for the last three days he tuned it all out and thought of nothing but Spring Break, which began the second Mr. Schue let them leave the classroom. Finn and he would be on their way to London tonight and away from the drama. He would think about Nationals when he got back. He opened his eyes and turned to see no signs of a decision being made. With a loud sigh that no one paid attention to, he rested his arms over his eyes and continued to daydream of his reunion with Blaine.

"I firmly believe that this is our very best shot at winning Nationals," Rachel continued her rant. "Unless you have a better idea, which none of you seem to have, this is our only option."

Santana practically growled, throwing her arms in the air. She was so over fighting with Rachel. With a glance and a nod from Quinn, Santana swallowed her pride. She'd known their best option for winning Nationals for at least a week. She had just been too stubborn to voice it.

"I have a better idea," Santana muttered, partially hating herself for what she was about to say. "And it's not something I've just now decided. This is something Quinn and I have been talking about and we really think it's going to help us win."

Rachel waited a moment. "Ok, what is it?" she asked with frustration when Santana didn't tell them right away.

"I think we should do 'Light Up the World' after Kurt's song," Santana started. "We never did use it after all the hard work we put into it and it's a song that showcases all of our talents. Thenâthen we should close with 'Sing' with Rachel and Finn singing lead. We never did that either because of Sue's fake lawsuit," the room was eerily quiet, the New Directions shocked by her suggestion.

"You want to give us the duet?" Rachel asked confused. "I don't understand. Why? You've fought with me for years for the stage and now you're just going to give it to me?"

Santana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I mean, yeah I want to be in the spotlight but Nationals is about more than that. It's about putting our best selves on that stage and although it pains me to say it, you and Finn are our best singers. Why would we put you on the bench for the big game?"

"Yeah but," Rachel said a bit frantic. She wanted that spotlight, needed it like she needed air. But with her friendship with Santana finally blossoming, she was terrified of losing it just because Finn and she were given the duet. "This is everything you've wanted. How can you just hand it away?"

Santana walked over to Rachel, her arms dropping down. "Because Rach, you want it more. You need it more. I want to win Nationals more than I want to be center stage and the only way we're going to do that is if you and Frankenteen kill it."

Rachel turned to Mr. Schue with uncertainty. "What do you think?"

"You know, that's actually a good idea," Mr. Schue nodded approvingly. "We'd open with Kurt," he pointed at Kurt who was bopping his head to the beat of the music. "A single spotlight on him with pairs dancing behind him in backlight, then we move on to 'Light Up the World'," he motioned to the room, "where we not only show your amazing vocals but also your incredible dance moves," he walked to Rachel and pointed to her and Finn, "Then you two bring us home with the number one reason why we're there, to sing," he turned to the class, "We'll make 'Sing' a big number, get the crowd going, get them loud! We can do a little choreography but nothing precise. We'll show them just how diverse we are."

"And then we will win Nationals," Santana said with a confident nod. "What do you think, Rachel?"

It took Rachel all of two seconds before exploding with delight. "Alright, let's do it!"

Kurt stopped ignoring his surroundings long enough to notice that the commotion had calmed down. He peaked out from under his arms and saw everyone talking excitedly. He pulled the earbuds out and sat up. "Are we done? Was a decision made?"

"Indeed it was," Mr. Schue clapped happily. "We're going to be doing-"

"Tell me after Spring Break," Kurt cut in, grabbing his things and standing. "We have a flight to catch and Finn still has to pack. Bye everyone. Have a nice break. Finn let's go." He grabbed Finn by the arm and pulled him away from a protesting Rachel who had yet to have a chance to say goodbye. Kurt didn't care. He was done with Lima.

Blaine tapped on the counter anxiously, glancing behind him every few minutes. He was sitting at the bar of the hotel restaurant waiting on Sebastian to arrive. Sebastian had the week off and would be tagging along with Kurt, Finn, and The Warblers. Blaine was extremely grateful for it. Between rehearsals, fan events, and the two concerts that week, he wouldn't have time to truly enjoy the city with Kurt and Finn. With Sebastian around he wouldn't have to worry about them running around London by themselves, especially with the media circus lately. Though Blaine didn't expect nearly as much hostility here as there was in the States. Their European fans had always been much calmer than their American fans. Even now there was a group of girls in the lobby who knew exactly where he was but instead of endlessly harassing him, they chose to hang around but give him his space. Either way, Blaine felt better knowing that they had Sebastian around while he was busy.

The sudden sound of screaming fans grabbed Blaine's attention. He stood from his seat and walked to the restaurant's entryway to see Sebastian with his guitar strapped to his back, surrounded by the group of girls. Blaine smiled brightly at the sight of his best friend. He always seemed to forget exactly how much he missed Sebastian until he saw him.

Blaine cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered out, "Oh yeah!"

Sebastian's head shot up at the Warbler call. "Oh yeah!" he yelled back wearing a huge grin. He signed a couple more autographs quickly, grabbed his suitcase off the floor, and excused himself from the group of girls. Blaine walked his way and they met halfway where they threw their arms around each other in a tight embrace. "It's been way too long, B."

Blaine hugged a little tighter before pulling back. "It really has, Seb." He took a good look at Sebastian, noticing how much broader he was from the last time they'd seen each other. "You look good, man," he said with a squeeze of Sebastian's biceps.

"Thanks," Sebastian replied with a shrug of his shoulder though he wore a smirk. "They have me on this crazy workout routine. I'm surprised the paps haven't come up with some steroid story."

Blaine chuckled. "You haven't really been seen lately. They probably haven't noticed yet. I'm sure that will change this week."

"Probably," Sebastian laughed. "You want to start the frenzy now or later?" he asked with a glance behind.

"Uh now, duh," Blaine imitated a teenage girl then laughed. He looked past Sebastian to see the girls either taking pictures of them or typing on their phones. "I'm sure they've already started it," he said with a nod towards the group.

"Well," Sebastian drawled as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "If we're going to do this then let's do it right," he smirked. He put his arm over Blaine's shoulder and pulled him close to pose.

Kurt sat at the gate with Finn beside him. Finn was on his laptop updating his Age of Misrule blog while Kurt rested his head on Finn's shoulder with his eyes closed. It was just past midnight and Kurt was exhausted. All he wanted to do at this point was board the plane and go to sleep. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket just as they announced that first class was boarding and smiled at the twitter alert.

SebastianSmythe : Reunited and it feels so very good. *WarblerBlaine [picture]

"Finn, come here," Kurt said as he retweeted the picture.

Finn stopped packing his laptop for a moment. "What's up?"

"Take a selfie with me," Kurt replied holding his phone out in front of them. Both smiled wide and excitedly. "Perfect," he yawned.

"Are you posting that?" Finn wondered. "It'll be the first time you've posted about me."

Kurt shrugged a little. "Yeah well, it's not like who you are is a secret. Besides, we'll be posting pics all week so why not start now."

Finn nodded. "True."

KurtHummel : *SebastianSmythe *WarblerBlaine The envy is so very real! We can't wait to see you guys! *FinnHudson [picture]

SebastianSmythe : *KurtHummel *FinnHudson *WarblerBlaine I'm excited to see you too. We're in for a killer week!

KurtHummel : *SebastianSmythe *WarblerBlaine *FinnHudson Yes we are! London won't know what hit 'em! ;)

KurtHummel : *FinnHudson We are officially boarding our flight! Goodbye Ohio! See you in a week!

Kurt sighed happily and pocketed his phone. They were in for the best Spring Break ever.

Sebastian smiled at Kurt's tweet as Blaine and he entered the room he would be staying in for the next couple of nights. "I can't wait to officially meet Kurt tomorrow," he smiled easily. He set his suitcase down in the hallway then pulled the guitar over his neck.

"And Finn can't wait to meet you officially," Blaine teased lightly. "Or rather I guess he can wait. You know he's been freaking out over meeting you for months."

Sebastian laughed good-naturedly. "Ah yes, my straight boyfriend. He's going to be fun to mess with."

Blaine laughed and took a seat on the couch. "So what's been going on with you? How have you been feeling?"

"You know what," Sebastian sat next to Blaine, setting the guitar down in between them. "I've been feeling pretty good lately."

Blaine didn't bother to hide his grin. "Oh yeah? Any particular reason why?"

"Other than the brilliance that is your music, you mean?" Sebastian smirked and Blaine nodded eagerly. "Well, Hunter and I have been talking a lot more. We haven't Skyped or anything but that's because the next time I see him I want it to be face to face. But we're doing really well I think. It's a nice change from the fighting."

"That's great, man!" Blaine said excitedly. "I knew you two would work things out."

"We're still working things out," Sebastian corrected. "We haven't talked about what happened at all, not yet anyway. But we're getting to know each other again."

"That's still really good, Seb," Blaine reached over and squeezed Sebastian's knee encouragingly. "Are you feeling emotions again or are you still numb?"

Sebastian shrugged a little. "Yes and no. I feel like I'm somewhere in the middle. I get these waves of emotions here and there and they have been more frequent lately, but I feel like there's this wall that is stopping me from fully feeling. I don't know, it's weird. But the more I talk to Hunter, the easier everything seems to get."

"That's really great," Blaine said with a soft smile. "I'm so happy for you guys." Sebastian rolled his eyes though he wore a smile. He was proud of them too. Blaine's eyes shifted to his guitar. "So, since you've been feeling better, does that mean you're willing to sing with me?" he asked with a big hopeful grin.

Sebastian laughed lightly. "You've been dying to ask me that from the moment you saw I brought your baby back."

Blaine's smiled widened. "You wouldn't have brought her unless you wanted to sing," he said knowingly.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I was just returning her?" Blaine shook his head unconvinced and Sebastian chucked lightly in defeat. "Alright, pull her out. We'll sing my song as a duet."

"Yes!" Blaine exclaimed, reaching for his guitar case and unzipping. "I take first verse and you take the second?"

Sebastian nodded. "Let's do it."

Kurt all but ran out of the airport, Finn following close behind. Both had passed out on the flight shortly after its departure and woke up an hour before they landed. The excitement of their trip had set in and they spent that hour taking silly pictures or videos and posting them on twitter using the plane's Wi-Fi. Finn gained hundreds of followers in that time but he didn't care. All he could think about now was how not to make a fool of himself in front of his favorite actor. The moment they stepped outside, they were met by chilly weather and Sebastian leaning against his rental car with his arms crossed and a smirk on his lips.

"Oh my God, there he is," Finn muttered, his eyes wide.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "We'll be with him for an entire week, Finn. You might want to get over your fanboy crush."

Finn gulped nervously and followed Kurt towards Sebastian. Kurt smiled happily as they got closer. Sebastian leaned off his car and opened his arms wide. Kurt didn't hesitate and jogged the rest of the way, falling into Sebastian's arms.

"I know you would've preferred Blaine to greet you with a hug but hey, I'm a close second, right?" Sebastian asked with a small smile.

Kurt nodded against Sebastian's chest. "Very close second." They parted and Kurt turned to Finn who was gaping at Sebastian. "Finn, close your mouth and say hi."

Finn half smiled. "Hi," he said with an awkward wave.

Sebastian bit back a laugh. "Hey," he greeted. "You two ready?"

"Beyond ready," Kurt said with a huff. "Open up this fancy car of yours and let's get the hell outta here."

Sebastian chuckled and walked to the trunk to open it. He helped them load their luggage and quickly got in the driver seat.

"Whoa," Finn said when Sebastian started the car. "I forgot they drove on the opposite side here."

Sebastian sent Finn a wink through the rearview mirror. "Welcome to London."

"What's the best prank that's been done while on tour?"

The Warblers laughed jovially, Jeff and David practically falling out of their seats. They were doing a fan QA and the questions ranged anywhere between silly and downright dirty. One particular question directed at Jeff forced Nick to cover Jeff's mouth to keep him from answering, his cheeks turning a bright red with embarrassment. The fans decided to take it easy after that, not wanting to risk upsetting the guys.

"I'm sure we all have different answers," Blaine spoke into the microphone. "But for me, it was this thing Nick and I decided to do to Jeff and David."

"Yes!" Nick exclaimed and Wes nodded. Jeff and David shook their heads furiously though, unwilling to accept that Blaine and Nick's baby prank could at all compare to any of theirs. "We totally got it on tape too so it'll definitely be in the DVD."

"What happened?"

"What did you do?"

The fans shouted out. Blaine went to answer but stopped when the doors in the back opened and Kurt, Sebastian, and Finn walked in. A wide smile spread across his face, his insides jumping for joy.

"You'll have to excuse Blaine," David teased loudly. "He's a little distracted," he said with a nod towards the back. The fans turned around and screamed when they saw Kurt and Sebastian.

"Go say hi!" One fan yelled.

"Kiss him! Kiss him!" another shouted.

"Well I certainly don't need to be told again," Blaine said, quickly hopping off the stage, leaving the microphone on his seat, and ran over to his beloved. Kurt laughed as Blaine swooped him off his feet and spun him. Blaine set him down and dove in for a deep kiss, the room erupting with catcalls.

"Damn, Anderson. Get some," Sebastian said with a laugh.

Blaine pulled back, a sheepish smile on his lips. "Hey beautiful," he said lowly, Kurt's cheek tinted pink. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Kurt sighed happily, resting his forehead on Blaine's.

"Yeah, yeah, we all missed you," David rolled his eyes though he wore a smirk. "Can we get back to this QA now?"

Reluctantly, Kurt pushed Blaine away. "Go. I'll be here when you're done."

Blaine pecked Kurt's cheek and ran back to the stage. "Alright," he said as he grabbed the microphone and took his seat. "Back to this awesome prank Nick and I pulled."

The QA lasted about an hour longer before The Warblers were moved into a different room. Group by group the fans entered the room and took photos with the guys. Sebastian, Kurt, and Finn stayed out in the hallway talking to the fans that were waiting their turn. Many of them took photos with Sebastian and a few took pictures with Kurt. Finn didn't get it. To him, Kurt was just his brother, another high school senior. He didn't understand why it was so important to these fans that he take a photo with them. Then again, he figured Kurt would be a famous designer one day anyway so his brother may as well get used to the attention. Kurt may be the most popular guy in school and he may put on a brave face for the world. But Finn knew that most of the time, Kurt just wanted to be left alone. So when Kurt sent a look his way, Finn knew he needed rescuing.

"Kurt, hey," Finn said frantic. "I really need to use the bathroom but I don't know where it is. Will you help me find it?"

Kurt rolled his eyes in faux annoyance. "Really, Finn?" he asked and Finn nodded. "Fine," he huffed. "Sorry girls," he directed at the group that had been waiting their turn to speak with him. "I have to go. But hey look, it's almost your turn to see The Warblers!"

The girls squealed and said good bye to Kurt. Finn grabbed him by the arm and quickly started walking in the opposite direction. "Wanna hideout in the bathroom for a little bit?" he whispered.

"Oh my God, yes!" Kurt said with a relieved sigh. "Get me the hell outta here. I am way too tired for this right now."

From: Sebastian Smythe

Where the hell did you go?

From: Kurt Hummel

Finn and I are hiding out in the bathroom. I needed to get away for a little bit.

From: Sebastian Smythe

The guys are done and Blaine is looking for you. He looks like you just killed his puppy.

From: Blaine Anderson

Babe, where are you? I miss you. :(

Kurt and Finn walked out of the bathroom to find The Warblers down the hall. Sebastian saw them first and nudged Blaine whose face lit up the second his eyes landed on Kurt.

"Hey," he said as he ran ahead of the guys. "Everything alright?"

Kurt nodded, sighing deeply as he wrapped his arms around Blaine. "Yeah, I'm just tired I guess. We slept on the plane but I think the time difference is starting to get to me."

"Why don't you guys head back to the hotel?" Blaine suggested, his hand caressing Kurt's cheek. "We still have sound check and another meet and greet to do. Go get some more sleep and I'll have Seb drive me over there to pick you up before the show starts."

Kurt hummed out a breath and nodded. "Ok, I'll see you tonight."

Blaine leaned in and kissed him sweetly. "Love you."

"Love you too," Kurt replied, giving Blaine a chaste kiss before walking off with Finn and Sebastian.

Kurt arched his back, his body thrumming with pleasure. Blaine's tongue lapped over his throbbing erection teasingly, one hand holding his hips down while the other played with his balls. Blaine slowly sucked on the head of Kurt's cock just hard enough to make Kurt elicit a whimper. He took Kurt entirely into his mouth, screwing his head around and humming, Kurt's body vibrating with want. Kurt thrashed his head on the pillow, unwilling to let go of the delicious dream his mind had created. He finally opened his eyes to see that it wasn't a dream at all. He was in his hotel room and Blaine was settled in-between his legs giving him one of the best blowjobs he's ever received.

"Blaine," he moaned out, his hand flying to Blaine's hair and pulling on the curls.

Blaine pulled off with a cheeky grin. "Good afternoon, beautiful," he greeted. "Don't pull my hair too much. We have to leave for the show after this," he winked and went right back to work.

Kurt let go of Blaine's hair and grabbed hold of the sheets, his head thrown back, his mouth parted. He was prepared to be woken with a kiss and some cuddles but the alternative was much better. Blaine did his best to ignore the painfully hard erection he had and focused on making Kurt cum. He hadn't planned on waking Kurt up with a blowjob, especially with their time limit and Sebastian in the other room. But seeing Kurt sound asleep, so warm and inviting, was too good to pass up.

Blaine's suction was so precise, so perfectly delicious, that it didn't take very long for Kurt to cum hard, gurgling Blaine's name in unadulterated pleasure. Blaine sucked until he swallowed every drop of Kurt's seed and pulled off with a satisfied grin.

Kurt put his arms above his head and breathed out a laugh. "That was the best wake-up ever." He looked at Blaine who was wiping the corners of his mouth and smirked. "Your turn."

Blaine bit his lip as Kurt sat up and crawled over to him. "As much as I would love that," he said a little breathlessly. "We don't have time."

Kurt ignored him and sat on his lap. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you out of the room without taking care of this," he grinded his hips against Blaine's erection, "first."

"Kurt," Blaine protested weakly, Kurt's lips lightly nibbling his ear. "Seb's in the living room."

"You should've thought of that before," Kurt sang. He pushed Blaine onto his back. "Don't worry. I'll be quick," he promised with a wink and lowered himself on Blaine's body.

Sebastian looked up from his phone where he'd been texting Hunter and smirked devilishly at Blaine and Kurt as they exited Kurt's room. If the noises they made weren't proof of what they'd done, the blush on Kurt's cheeks and the proud grin Blaine wore was a definite indicator.

"Did Sleeping Beauty have himself a nice nap?" Sebastian asked in a teasing tone.

Kurt rolled his eyes at him. "As a matter of fact, yes I did. I appreciate the concern," he said sarcastically.

"The only thing I'm concerned about is whether or not Blaine's eyes rolled to the back of his head," Sebastian replied with his ever present smirk plastered on his face. Kurt's eyes widened, his cheeks turning a deep shade of pink much to Sebastian's amusement.

Blaine came up behind Kurt and wrapped his arms around his waist. "I'm sure by what you heard that you know that answer to that, Seb," he winked, leaving feathery kisses on Kurt's neck. "And that was what? 15 minutes? Imagine what we're like when we aren't rushed," he said sultrily into Kurt's ears.

Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. "That's what I'm talking about, Anderson!"

"Oh my god!" Kurt pushed Blaine away in embarrassment. "Is this what you two are like together?" He asked with a scowl though a smile played at his lips.

"Pretty much."

"Basically."

Sebastian and Blaine answered at the same time then laughed.

"I am in for a long week," Kurt meant to sound annoyed but couldn't help but laugh with them. "I'm going to go make sure Finn is ready to go."

"We'll meet you in the hallway," Blaine said as Kurt headed to the door. "We need to leave in like 5 minutes." Kurt nodded at him and walked out. "I love embarrassing him," he said to Sebastian.

"With the way his face turns into a tomato I'm not surprised," Sebastian laughed. "Hunter's like that too."

Blaine smiled at him. "It's going to be fun hanging out together, the four of us. We're going to have some really good times."

Sebastian looked down, a soft smile on his lips. "Yeah, I think we are."

The Royal Albert Hall was packed with people, the venue being sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale. While The Warblers' European fans weren't as aggressive as their American fans, they were just as passionate. Their screams and chants could clearly be heard through the hall, and as the start of the show drew closer, the screams grew louder. It made Sebastian anxious. Even as a child he had never been fond of overly large crowds. One of the reasons he loved acting so much was that he didn't have to deal with overzealous fans on a regular basis. All he ever had to do was smile for the cameras, sign some autographs, then be on his way. But his fame was nothing compared to The Warblers' fame and it was something that he never truly got used to.

Sebastian stood in the background of The Warblers' dressing room keeping to himself. The guys were going over their harmonies while Kurt and Finn talked and took pictures to post online. Sebastian could've joined them but he chose not to. They would be watching the concert from the front row rather than backstage and Sebastian had to mentally prepare himself for the crowd. He did need a distraction though, so with a quick exhale, he pulled out his cellphone to text Hunter.

To Hunter:

The sheer amount of people gathered here is kinda freaking me out.

Sebastian didn't have to wait long for a response.

From Hunter:

You never really have liked big crowds.

Sebastian raised a brow, a smirk playing at his lips.

To Hunter:

What makes you say that?

From Hunter:

You told me so, back when we were in Ohio. You said big crowds make you feel invisible.

The long lost memory came rushing back instantly.

"How are you going to be a famous actor if you don't like people?" Hunter asked with a small laugh. They were naked in Hunter's bed, Sebastian leaning against the headboard with Hunter's back resting on his chest, their arms and fingers intertwined around them.

"I never said I didn't like people," Sebastian said, playfully poking Hunter's ribs. "I just said I don't like a lot of people. I'm not a fan of big crowds. They make me feel invisible."

Hunter grabbed Sebastian's hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed Sebastian's fingertips. "Sebastian Smythe feeling invisible? What a travesty," he teased lightly.

Sebastian chuckled and shook his head. "Whatever. And for the record, I can be famous and not like crowds. I'm a film actor. It's not like I have to get up on stage and perform. I just have to smile pretty for the camera."

Sebastian smiled softly. He loved that Hunter remembered that.

To Hunter:

Oh yeah I did tell you that. I guess I forgot.

"Five minutes boys!" Eric shouted from the door. The Warblers immediately began to scramble.

From Hunter:

Take some deep breaths and don't pay attention to the crowd. Just enjoy the show.

"Sebastian, you ready?"

Sebastian looked up at Kurt. "Yeah, I'm ready," he nodded, sending one more text before pocketing his phone.

To Hunter:

Thanks. I will. I'll call you later.

Sebastian, Kurt, and Finn were led to their seats, the screams getting louder the closer they got to the concert hall doors. The moment they walked through the side door, Sebastian put on his protective faÃ§ade. He smiled and waved as they passed the rows of screaming fans, his heart hammering wildly. He glanced behind him at Kurt and Finn and couldn't help but feel a little better at seeing the slight panic in their eyes despite the smiles on their faces. At least he wasn't the only one who was anxious over the sudden attention.

"This is crazy!" Finn shouted into Kurt's ear as they walked down the aisle. "I'm a nobody, dude! How do they even know my name?" he asked, several fans calling out to him as well as to Kurt and Sebastian.

"I've been tweeting about you, doofus," Kurt retorted. "Or did you forget."

"I didn't forget," Finn grumbled. They reached their seats in the front row and the body guard escorted them in. Their seats were roped off, not that it prevented the nearby fans from reaching them, but it did set them apart. "I just didn't expect it to be like this."

"Welcome to being famous by association," Sebastian said to him. Finn smiled awkwardly and looked away. He wasn't quite used to Sebastian yet. Sebastian turned to the fans around them that were asking for autographs. "We're here as fans guys, nothing more. I'll take a group selfie to post later, but after that we'd really just like to enjoy the show."

The fans easily agreed and squeezed together to take a picture with Kurt and Sebastian. Finn smirked and took a picture of them as they took the selfie. Kurt sent Sebastian an impressed smile, the fans turning their attention to the stage where the lights began to change. "That wasn't a bad idea."

Sebastian shrugged a little. "They wouldn't leave us alone until we gave them attention. Now we can watch the show without worrying about them."

Kurt nodded his approval and turned to the stage. The lights dimmed and the crowd went wild. Sebastian tuned out the screaming fans as best he could and focused on the silhouettes that took the stage. He glanced around for a moment, smirking at the way Finn and Kurt chanted along with the fans. The music started and Sebastian turned his attention back to the stage, his eyes gravitating to Blaine who was front and center. The Warblers began dancing behind Blaine as he started to sing.

Blaine

Keeps coming closer, I don't but he thinks I know him

Beautiful smile with those sad eyes

That was my type, amnesia, that's over

I can see you breathing, boy, it's colder

I can see you need me but I don't care

My whole memory of being in love gone so far from me, boy

It's not fair

Blaine, Nick, David

I could feel it almost start to change

But then it hurts too much, that's when it starts to fade

"They're amazing!" Finn shouted over the screams.

"They're incredible!" Kurt yelled back to him.

"They're spectacular," Sebastian said in response to them but he muttered it too quietly for them to hear. It had been years since he'd attended a show and he had actually forgotten how magical they were when they performed. It was no wonder they were the biggest pop stars on the planet. From the moment they stepped out on stage, they were no longer the group of guys he went to school with. They were rock stars, through and through.

Warblers

So cold baby, now I'm going crazy

I don't know why you'd leave me alone.

If it was true, if it was you

Don't you think, don't you think I would know?

Amnesia: every memory fades away till it's gone

Where did you go?

Amnesia: everything and nothing

No 'we' anymore, you're a stranger that I used to know

Sebastian forgot the crowd. He let go of his anxiety and his faÃ§ade, and allowed himself to fall into the music. It had been years since Sebastian had truly felt anything but pain, anger, and regret. The waves of happiness he felt never felt full enough and they always left him wanting more. But in that moment, for the first time in forever, he felt true joy. What he didn't know was that the wall that kept his heart from openly feeling was starting to crack. His soul needed Sebastian to stop trying so hard, to let himself be free, and now that he unknowingly had, his emotions fought against the wall to break free.

Blaine, Nick, David

I could feel it almost start to change

But then it hurts too much, I let it go away

Halfway through the song Sebastian felt a shift inside him but he couldn't focus on it, his mind wouldn't allow it. His heart was beating erratically, the pounding in his soul in rhythm with the beat of the drums.

Warblers

Amnesia: every memory fades away till it's gone

Where did you go?

Amnesia: everything and nothing

No 'we' anymore you're a stranger that I used to know

Blaine

And I don't know you anymore

Everything and nothing

Everything and nothing

He's a stranger that I used to know

Amnesia, amnesia, amnesia

Blaine's voice traveled straight into Sebastian's soul and he felt like the room was spinning. It was hypotonic, the way Blaine's voice blended with the melody. Sebastian closed his eyes and gripped the rail to steady him. He felt like he was floating and for a moment, he wasn't at the concert, but back in Ohio with Hunter.

"We are not buying the cheap crap," Sebastian said, practically snatching the bottle of wine out of Hunter's hand. "If we're drinking tonight then we're doing it right."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to get me drunk," Hunter quipped, raising a brow at the high priced bottle Sebastian grabbed.

Sebastian turned to him with a smirk. "Not at all, darling. I simply refuse to be cheap." Hunter gave him an unconvinced look. Sebastian wrapped an arm around Hunter's waist and brought their bodies flush together, Hunter blushing a crimson red at the display of affection. "What I am trying to do, is enjoy a wonderful night with my soulmate where I turn him inside out," he purred.

"You're insatiable." Hunter playfully shoved him off and walked away, Sebastian laughing as he followed.

Blaine

Go on and tear me apart

And do it again tomorrow

I almost forgot, who you are

The beat dropped, the lights turned dark, and Sebastian's heart twisted painfully. He held on to the railing so hard that his knuckles began to turn white. The cracks in the wall grew bigger, his emotions pushing harder, desperate to be free.

Kurt glanced at Sebastian and noticed the pained look on his face. "Sebastian?" he said concerned but received no response. He wasn't even sure if Sebastian had heard him.

Blaine

I try to forget about it every time I see you, see you

Thought I could do without you

Now I know I need you, need you

This is turning into some kind, kind of amnesia, amnesia

Memories fade away

Love is so insane

"I can't believe you!" Sebastian shouted angrily. "How could you say that I'm abandoning you?"

"Because you are!" Hunter yelled back. "This whole week has been a lie! You don't want me! You don't love me! You're nothing but a liar and a user!"

Warblers

I try to forget about it every time I see you, see you

Thought I could do without you

Now I know I need you, need you

This is turning into some kind, kind of amnesia, amnesia

Memories fade away

Love is so insane

As the music lifted once more, so did Sebastian's soul. He gasped for air, a sudden shudder rolling through his body. It was as though the music was pulling at Sebastian's heart strings and he had no choice but to let it. Tears streamed down his cheeks while Blaine sang the final lyrics, each word stabbing him in the heart.

Blaine

So tear me apart and do it again tomorrow

I almost forgot who we are

I'll let you drive me crazy for another day

Isn't this love insane, insane?

The crowd cheered loudly when the song came to an end. Sebastian dropped his head, his eyes closed, and took deep breaths, his heart still frantic. What the hell is happening to me? He felt a gentle hand atop of his and looked up to find Kurt watching him.

"Are you ok?" Kurt asked quietly, the words just barely reaching his ears.

Sebastian forced a smile and nodded. "I'm fine," he lied. He wasn't fine, not in the least bit. He didn't know what was wrong, why he felt his entire existence shifting, but he couldn't think on it, his mind still would not let him.

The show went on without a hitch and Sebastian hadn't gotten any better. If anything he felt worse. His heart and soul seemed to be directly tied to the music and every emotion that The Warblers' portrayed he felt tenfold. Everything was intensified and he didn't understand why. With each passing song, the cracks in the wall got bigger, Sebastian's emotions pushing further. Soon there would be no wall at all and Sebastian would finally be able to truly feel again.

"Man oh man, what a night!" Blaine said to the crowd. He was standing in front of a microphone stand with an empty stand next to him. Wes was at his keyboard, David sat at the drums, and Nick and Jeff sat next to each on stools behind Blaine. "How's everyone feeling? Are you enjoying the show so far?" the cheers grew impossibly loud. "Alright! That's what I'm talking about! Now, in case you guys didn't know, we have some very special guests in the front row," he said with a grin, the spotlight shining where he was pointing. "Here tonight is my one and only Kurt, my brother-in-law Finn, and my very best friend, Sebastian! Let's give them a round of applause!" Finn, Kurt, and Sebastian turned and waved to the crowd. Sebastian turned back to Blaine with suspicion in his eyes. "We don't usually do this, but the guys and I talked before the show started and we decided that since we're probably never going to get the opportunity again, we would like to invite Sebastian up here to sing a song with us. What do you guys think?" he asked the crowd.

Sebastian's heart plummeted. "I'm going to fucking kill him," he said to Kurt. "He knows I hate performing in front of big crowds."

Kurt looked at him bemused. "You're a Warbler, and an actor. How do you hate performing?"

"Let's bring him up here," Blaine said to one of the security guards.

"Come on, Sebby!" Jeff cheered.

The security guard came up to Sebastian to escort him to the stage. Sebastian turned a panic look at Kurt. "Acting in front of a camera and performing on stage are not the same thing!"

Kurt shrugged apologetically. He had no idea that Sebastian didn't like to perform. But that didn't mean he wasn't just as anxious as the next person to see what he had up his sleeve.

Sebastian muttered under his breath as he made his way to the stage. It was one thing to perform with his friends in front of a few hundred people. It was an entirely different experience to perform in front of several thousands. He was seriously going to kill Blaine later.

"There he is!" Blaine exclaimed when Sebastian walked on stage. He held his arms out and wore an innocent smile.

Sebastian deadpanned for a second before shaking his head, a smirk playing at his lips, and hugged Blaine. "I hate you so much right now," he said into Blaine's ear.

"I know," Blaine said with a cheeky grin. "I couldn't help it."

Sebastian pulled back and looked past him to the crowd. He exhaled slowly, his heart racing. "What are we singing?" he asked the guys.

"Anything you want, Sebby," Jeff said with an excited clap.

"Sebastian! Sebastian! Sebastian!" the crowd cheered.

"Well," Sebastian conceded. If he was going to do this then he was going to do it right. "I might as well sing 'Drink You Away'," he said with a nervous smile.

Blaine's brows shot up in surprise. "Really? Are you sure?"

Sebastian wasn't sure. The majority of him dreaded singing it, knowing that the rumor mill would set ablaze. But at the same time, he couldn't help but want to sing it, felt like he needed to even. "Yeah, I'm sure. Fill them in," he gestured to the guys then walked to the front of the stage. "Kurt!" he hollered out, waving Kurt over. The nearest security guard approached Kurt and let him out of his seat. Sebastian bent down to talk to him. "Get your phone out and record this." Kurt nodded eagerly.

Sebastian grabbed a stool and set it in front of the microphone stand while Blaine discussed the song with the guys. He took a seat and looked out at the crowd, smiling a little and waving as they continued to shout his name. Sebastian felt like he was burning up, though he couldn't tell if it was from the stage lights or the nerves. Blaine took a seat next to him with his guitar and an encouraging smile. Sebastian returned the smile and turned to the crowd.

Lightly, he tapped the microphone. "Is this thing on?" Sebastian asked and the crowd cheered louder. "Alright then," he chuckled and shifted in his seat. "I'm going to be real honest here, I'm completely terrified right now. I'm not used to singing in front of this many people, so go easy on me." The crowd continued to cheer and Sebastian took a deep breath, looking directly at Kurt who was already recording. "This song that we're about to sing is one you've never heard. It's uh, it's very close to my heart and I um, I hope you enjoy it."

Sebastian cleared his throat, willing the nerves away. He gave Blaine a nod to start and closed his eyes, forcing himself to ignore the crowd and focus on Blaine playing the guitar. Blaine strummed the intro, side eyeing Sebastian before singing out.

Blaine

Bitter sweet thing, could this be a dream

Or just the same nightmare that keeps me awake

I feel it in my brain, a tall shot of pain

Pour a little up now, for the love that we've made

Sebastian kept his eyes closed and joined in, his foot tapping to the beat.

Sebastian, Blaine

I feel it in the morning, you're still here in the morning

I see you, but you're gone

Telephone a doctor, I'm not okay

The bottom of the bottle, to fill this empty heart up

A thousand proof don't change the truth

I dive in, but I can't

Sebastian looked over at Blaine with a smirk that let Blaine know he was ok before looking out into the crowd. He was losing himself in the song and Blaine knew that Sebastian was about to blow them away.

Sebastian, Blaine

I can't drink you away

I've tried Jack, I've tried Jim,

I've tried all of their friends

But I can't drink you away

All these rocks, I can't swim out of this skin I'm living in, say

Now tell me, baby, don't they make a medicine for heart break

Ooh, tell me baby, oh yeah

Now don't they make a medicine for heart break

Sebastian lifted the microphone off its stand and stood up. He walked towards the front of the stage and sang looking directly at Kurt's phone.

Sebastian

Got a pounding on my brain, so I drowned it away

When the sun comes up tomorrow

You can find me doing the same

'Cause I just can't forget

The way we turned out this bed

And now the only thing that sleeps here is a ghost of you instead

Sebastian, Blaine

And then I feel it in the morning, you're still here in the morning

I see you, but you're gone

Telephone a doctor, I'm not okay

Bottom of the bottle, to fill this empty heart up

A thousand proof don't change the truth

I dive in, but I can't

I can't drink you away

I've tried Jack, I've tried Jim,

I've tried all of their friends

But I can't drink you away

All these rocks, I can't swim out of this skin I'm living in, say

Tell me, baby, don't they make a medicine for heart break

Oh, tell me baby, one more time

Now don't they make a medicine for heart break

"Break it down," Blaine sang and Sebastian stumbled purposefully, his eyes closed and both hands on the microphone, his heart and soul free at least.

Sebastian

I can't drink you, no I can't drink you away, away

I can't drink you, no I can't drink you away, away

I can't drink you, no I can't drink you away, away

I can't drink you, no I can't drink you away, away, away

Ooh, I can't drink you, I can't drink you away

"Put em up!" Blaine said with his hands in the air clapping. The crowd clapped along with them as The Warblers joined in to sing the chorus while Sebastian sang lead.

Warblers, Sebastian

I can't drink you away

I've tried Jack, I've tried Jim,

I've tried all of their friends

But I can't drink you away

All these rocks, I can't swim out of this skin I'm living in, say

So tell me, baby, don't they make a medicine for heart break

Oh, tell me baby, one more time

Now don't they make a medicine for heart break

Kurt had kept the camera mostly on Sebastian alone the entire performance, unable to look away. Sebastian had a different sort of passion than Blaine did. He was a bit rawer, more heartbroken than Kurt could've ever truly known. Watching him perform live, knowing the truth behind the song, made Sebastian's performance breathtaking. Kurt spent so much time getting to know Sebastian and now, after seeing the pain and vulnerability, he felt like he didn't know him at all.

Sebastian

Tell me, baby, can't they make a medicine for my heart break, heart break

Tell me baby, yeah

Can't they make a medicine for my heart break

'Cause I can't drink you away

I've tried Jack, I've tried Jim,

I've tried all of their friends

I can't drink you away

All these rocks, I can't swim out of this skin I'm living in

The screams were deafening, The Warblers cheering with the crowd and clapping proudly. Sebastian breathed heavily, noticing his surroundings for the first time since he'd started singing. He had lost himself entirely in his song and actually forgotten that he was singing on stage. He breathed out a laugh, looking over at Blaine who was smiling brightly. Holy shit, I did it! That actually happened! He walked to Blaine and embraced him, laughing jovially.

"That was amazing," Blaine said to him as they parted. "You're amazing."

"Thanks, B," Sebastian chuckled bashfully. He turned to the crowd and waved, a wide smile on his lips. He pointed at Kurt and shouted, "Post that, now!" before running off stage.

Sebastian could just barely make out Blaine talking to the crowd. His heart was pounding in his ears, his body shaking. He leaned against the wall and grabbed onto his chest, taking shallow breaths. He could feel it, the change inside. He could tell that the wall was down, that there was nothing stopping him from truly feeling again and it made him laugh hysterically. He pulled his phone out of his pocket with a shaky hand and called Hunter.

"Hello."

"Hunter." Sebastian's voice broke. He hadn't realized he was crying until that moment.

"Sebastian? Are you ok?"

Sebastian laughed maniacally. "I'm fine, great actually. Amazing even." Sebastian paused to breathe and Hunter stayed quiet, his own heart and emotions going haywire. "I just performed with the guys. I actually got on stage and performed with the guys. It was the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I've ever experienced," he laughed. "Hunter," his voiced cracked again. "I can't do this anymore." For an instant Hunter's heart plummeted. "I can't keep pretending that I'm ok when I'm not. I can't keep going day in and day out acting as though my heart isn't breaking every moment that we aren't together."

"Sebastian," Hunter whispered.

"I love you, Hunter," Sebastian continued. "I love you more than anything and I'm done pushing you away. I'm done coming up with excuses as to why we aren't ready. You and I, we belong together, we have from the moment we were born, and I refuse to go another day without you."

"I love you too, Bas," Hunter cried. "So much. I don't want to be without you either. "

Sebastian let out a relieved breath. "I need to come see you. I know that you're busy with school and the Warblers and I'm filming but I need to come see you. Even if it's only for a day, I need to hold you in my arms, I need to kiss you and make love to you and I justâI need you."

Hunter laughed in-between his tears. "I need you too."

Sebastian took a deep breath, his heart and soul feeling at ease. He spoke again softly, his love for Hunter no longer restrained. "I don't know when yet, but I'll come see you soon, I promise. I'll talk with my director and let you know when, but I am coming for you, darling. I'm coming home."

I'd Give It All Up

A/N: Hello my darlings. I want to thank you all once again for your continued patience and support. It means the world to me.

I've decided to update each chapter as I complete it instead of waiting until I finish the story because I'm working full time for the first time in years and since I'm not writing as much, I hate to make you wait any longer than you have to. And don't fret, I won't be abandoning this fic. The updates may take a while but I will finish it I promise.

The songs used this chapter are: If I Can't Be With You by R5 and Girls/Girls/Boys by Panic! At the Disco.

MuseInMe3, thank you for always knowing where I go wrong.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Who is the real Sebastian Smythe?

Last night The Warblers brought The Royal Albert Hall down with their flawless harmonies and sexy moves. The talk of the night, however, was the soulfully heartbreaking performance by surprise guest, Sebastian Smythe.

At least half of American students are on Spring Break this week, including Kurt Hummel and his step-brother, Finn Hudson. Instead of taking off to Mexico to party like most Spring Breakers, Kurt and Finn flew to London to be with The Warblers and Sebastian, who has taken the week off from filming to spend time with his old Dalton buddies. Rumors started flying that Sebastian and Kurt would be going head to head over Blaine's affections and that Finn was brought along for backup. But from the moment Kurt and Finn stepped out of the airport, they and Sebastian have been seen laughing like old friends. Some say they even saw Sebastian embrace Kurt in a brotherly hug. It seems the naysayers are simply bitter souls with nothing better to do but start drama.

Sebastian, Kurt, and Finn sat together in the front row of last night's concert, enjoying the show just as much as the fans. Thanks to twitter user StarKidCorner, we even have this hilariously perfect [photo] of her taking a selfie of Finn who was taking a photo of Sebastian and Kurt who were taking a selfie with a group of fans, which Sebastian posted not long after. But it was the surprise that came later that which had everyone clutching onto their hearts.

Blaine called Sebastian up to the stage to perform a song, which was a shock in itself. But what really got us was the way Sebastian reacted to it. Thanks to Kurt for recording the entire moment, we were able to see a side of Sebastian no one knew existed. He didn't get on the stage with the cocky arrogance we're all accustomed to. But rather, he was noticeably nervous, bashful even, and it melted everyone's heart in way no one knew Sebastian was possible of. As I watched the beginning of the [video] and Sebastian adorably told everyone how terrified of the crowd he was, I had hoped that he would sing a Warbler song. What we got was a thousand times better.

I was fortunate enough to get a short phone interview with Sebastian after the show and he told me a little about his song choice. The song, Drink You Away , was written for him by Blaine whom, according to Sebastian, "Has always had a way of taking what I feel and turning it into something amazing". I tried my best to dig deeper and find out the more intimate details of the lyrics, but Sebastian played coy, telling me that I would, "find out the truth when it was the right time". It seems though that party boy Sebastian Smythe isn't at all what he seems. It's clear in his performance that he's dealing with heartbreak and guilt, though over what exactly, we don't know. What we do know, or at least guess, is that Drink You Away was written about Sebastian's soulmate, whomever he is.

Does this mean that Sebastian has met his true love but aren't together? Did something go awry ? Or is it all a metaphor? The song spoke of being unable to drink the pain away. Does that mean that Sebastian is admitting he has a drinking problem? Is that what tore him away from his beloved? Or are we missing something else entirely?

Whatever the truth may be, I cannot wait to finally meet the real Sebastian, for the one we've seen before is certainly not him.

Perez Hill

Blaine watched Sebastian worriedly as he spoke on the phone out on the patio. It was late and they were all hanging out in Kurt's hotel room for a little while before calling it a night. The plan was for them to have an old school jam session, Blaine on his guitar and David on his bongos, but the call Sebastian received had interrupted them.

"Who do you think he's talking to?" David asked as he tapped his bongos.

"Publicist maybe?" Jeff guessed. "What he did tonight was pretty epic. I'm sure people are flipping out."

"They are," Kurt and Finn answered simultaneously, both looking through the twitter feeds.

Blaine glanced at Kurt and shook his head. "I don't even want to know," he said, looking back at Sebastian who was ending his call. While he had been incredibly proud of Sebastian for singing his song, he later realized that the media frenzy would be insane and he worried that Sebastian would go back into his shell.

Sebastian walked in with an easy going smile though and took his seat on the couch next to Blaine. "Sorry about that."

"Everything ok?" Nick wondered.

"Yeah," Sebastian nodded. "That was Perez. He wanted an exclusive about the song."

All eyes turned to Sebastian. "What did you say?" Kurt asked.

"Nothing really," Sebastian shrugged. "Just that Blaine wrote it and the title. He tried getting me to talk more but I can't talk about anything with him until after I talk to Hunter. I promised him an exclusive though."

"So, you're good?" Blaine asked with concern.

Sebastian smiled and patted Blaine's leg. "I'm great, B. Amazing actually."

"Oh yeah?" David raised a curious brow.

"Yeah. I um, I called Hunter right after I got off stage and we're together, officially." The room broke into applause and Sebastian waved them off though he wore a bashful smile. "Alright, enough," he chuckled lightly. He turned to Wes with a knowing look. "Go ahead and text him Wesley, I know you want to."

Wes waited all but two seconds before pulling out his phone. "Oh my god, I'm so happy for you guys! I can't wait to tell Vanessa!"

"Wait," Finn's voice suddenly rang out. "Hunter who? Hunter Clarington? Like, Dalton's Warbler director? That's your soulmate?"

It wasn't until then that it occurred to Sebastian that Finn was completely out of the loop. "Yes, that's my soulmate, and I don't think I have to tell you not to say anything to anyone, right? It's not a secret, but I'm not going to tell the world exactly who he is yet."

"Dude, no!" Finn panicked. "I would never say anything! I swear it!"

Kurt laughed under his breath. "Relax, Finn. He's not going to break up with you."

Finn stammered while the guys laughed, Sebastian smirking and sending Finn a wink. "Dude, shut up," he grumbled.

"Ok, enough picking on the jolly green giant," Jeff cut in though he laughed. "I wanna hear another Anderson/Smythe song since you two have obviously been holding back the goods."

"Well," Sebastian drawled. "Blaine and I came up with so many hits in our time together. It's hard to choose one."

"What about that one about the Moo-Shoo pork that gave you food poisoning?" Blaine said with a laugh. "Or that one about how much you love fried eggs?" he teased.

Sebastian hummed while pretending to think. "How about the one you wrote about that stripper in Soho you were gonna marry?"

Jeff and David ooh'ed when Blaine's face turned bright red and Kurt turned to him. "You're marrying a stripper from Soho? Really? I thought you had more class than that, Anderson."

"I was 19!" Blaine defended. "And very drunk. I'm not marrying anyone but you, love." He gave Kurt his puppy eyes.

Kurt instantly melted. "I'm watching you, mister," he warned playfully.

"Mister, huh? Keep the naughtiness in the bedroom fellows," Sebastian teased.

"Have you seen him?" Blaine asked seriously. "How could I keep my hands off?"

"Guys, come on," Finn whined, the guys all laughing. "Brother in the room."

"It's best just to ignore them," Nick smirked shaking his head. "Seriously though, what about that song guys?"

"Yeah man, come on!" David encouraged.

Sebastian looked at Blaine with a small smile. "Well, there is one that I drunkenly wrote the lyrics for, which Blaine turned into a ballad."

Blaine's face lit up. "I thought you said never to speak of that song again."

Sebastian shrugged a shoulder as he stood up. "Things are different now." He pulled out his cell phone and tossed it to Kurt. "Record this for me."

"Am I your personal videographer now?" Kurt asked sarcastically as he went into Sebastian's camera.

"Yep," Sebastian winked. He took a seat on the coffee table in front of Blaine and next to David. "It's a simple beat so you oughta be able to pick it up quick," he told David.

"Are you ready?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, start recording," Sebastian said. Kurt nodded and pressed record. "Hey, Hunter," he greeted the camera and the guys looked at each other surprised. Blaine simply smiled from ear to ear. "As you can see, I'm hanging out with these guys and um, I have this song I wanted to sing for you. I wrote the lyrics to this when I wasn't exactly in the soberest of states right after we split and Blaine put the music to it. I swore that I would never in a million years sing this song, especially to you. But seeing as I'm completely in love with you and the words still apply, I decided it was time you heard it. Remember, I'm an actor, not a songwriter, so please, don't judge me too hard."

Sebastian nodded at Blaine and he began to strum the chords. Sebastian swayed back and forth with his head down then looked up at his phone, a softness in his eyes that Kurt had never seen.

I don't wanna be famous

I don't wanna if I can't be with you

Everything I eat is tasteless

Everything I see don't compare to you

Paris, Monaco, and Vegas

I'd rather stay with you if I had to choose

Baby you're the greatest

And I got everything to lose

I just wanna be with you

And I can never get enough

David added the beat with his bongos and Blaine joined in to sing the chorus. Sebastian kept his eyes on Kurt, pouring his soul into the song he swore he would never sing.

Baby I'd give it all up, up

I'd give it all up, if I can't be with you

All of this stuff sucks

Yeah all of this sucks, if I can't be with you

And, no Oscar, no Grammy, no mansion in Miami

The sun don't shine, the sky ain't blue

If I can't be with you

Kurt couldn't help but bite his lip shyly behind the phone as if Sebastian was singing to him. Sebastian always teased Blaine for being so romantic and Kurt loved seeing Sebastian's soft side. He hoped Hunter did too.

I can sail around the whole world

I still won't find a place

As beautiful as you boy

And really who's got time to waste?

I can't even see a future

Without you in it colors start to fade

Ain't no way I'm gonna lose ya

Nobody in the world could ever take your place

You're the kind you can't replace

And I can never get enough

The guys joined Blaine and Sebastian, the six of them harmonizing perfectly despite never rehearsing. Finn sat awestruck at the magic he was witnessing. If Dalton's current Warblers were half as good as them, the New Directions were in serious trouble.

Baby I'd give it all up, up

I'd give it all up, if I can't be with you

All of this stuff sucks

Yeah all of this sucks, if I can't be with you

And, no Oscar, no Grammy, no mansion in Miami

The sun don't shine, the sky ain't blue

If I can't be with you

Sebastian sang alone, The Warblers singing the melody.

If I can't be with you, if I can't be with you, oh

If I can't be with you, ooh, all of this sucks

If I can't be with you

The Warblers picked it back up, Finn and Kurt joining until the end.

All of this stuff sucks

Yeah all of this sucks, if I can't be with you

And, no Oscar, no Grammy, no mansion in Miami

The sun don't shine, the sky ain't blue

If I can't be with you

The guys cheered when the song ended and Sebastian actually blushed, rubbing his neck and chuckling. "I hope you enjoyed the song," he said to the camera. "I love you, Hunter. I'll see you soon."

Kurt ended the video and handed Sebastian his phone. "That was beautiful," he sighed with a loving glance toward Blaine. "I didn't know you could be so sweet."

"Yo, seriously," Jeff agreed, sitting back in his seat with a proud smile. "We've known you for what, ten years? Never did I imagine that Sebastian Smythe could write a love song."

"That's for damn sure," David nodded.

"I had no idea this side of you even existed," Wes admitted, feeling ashamed at never giving Sebastian more credit.

"I knew," Blaine said proudly. "I've known all along that underneath the jerk was a man with a heart of gold."

"And that is why you're my best friend," Sebastian smiled.

"You're sending that video now, right?" Nick asked with a giddy smile. "Please tell us you're sending it."

"He better!" Jeff exclaimed.

Sebastian glanced around the room at the hopeful faces then turned to Finn who was watching them with his mouth agape. "What do you think boyfriend?" Sebastian asked teasingly. "Should I send it now or later?"

Finn stammered for a moment before answering, "Dude, now. That was awesome and if you wait then you might talk yourself out of it."

Sebastian looked down at his phone with a smile. He still remembered the pain he felt when he first wrote the song, he remembered the regret when he sang it the first time. But things were different now, he was different, and it was time he stopped playing it safe. With a short breath, he typed a message and attached the file. He wished he could see Hunter's face when he watched it.

Kurt walked out of his bedroom early the next morning to find Blaine and Sebastian sitting at the table, each with a cup of coffee in hand and brochures on the table. Both looked up and smiled.

"Good morning, love," Blaine greeted, getting up to give Kurt a kiss on the cheek before walking to the coffee machine.

"Good morning," Kurt replied as he took a seat at the table next to Sebastian.

Sebastian reached over and ruffled Kurt's hair. "Nice look, Sleeping Beauty," he teased.

Kurt swatted his hand away. "Not all of us can wake up with perfectly coiffed CW hair," he retorted with a look of disdain. Blaine smiled in amusement at them and set Kurt's coffee mug down. Kurt took a sip and hummed with satisfaction. "Thank you," he said blowing Blaine a kiss. "Do you guys know if Finn's awake yet? We're going sightseeing today, right?" he asked, reaching for the brochures and sifting through them.

Blaine and Sebastian glanced at each other. "Actually, there's been a slight change of plans," Blaine smirked mischievously. Kurt raised a curious brow. "I wanted to spend today with my two favorite guys so I talked to David and Jeff and they have already left to take Finn to Trocadero. It's like, the most advanced gaming center in the world. And we," he gestured at the three of them, "are going shopping."

Kurt's entire face lit up. "I like this new plan already."

"We figured we'd go to Harrods first, then maybe Selfridges and Topshop next," Blaine started listing places off and Kurt was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement, much to Sebastian's utter amusement. "Then to the Cloth House. I was thinking you might find some material for your prom outfits."

"Yes, yes!" Kurt exclaimed. "All of it, yes! Then what?"

"Restaurant Gordon Ramsay for lunch," Sebastian chimed in. "I already made us a reservation and I heard that he's in town so there's a good chance we could meet him," Kurt clapped excitedly. "And then we finish the day off at the Design Museum and meet the guys downstairs for dinner."

"A thousand times yes," Kurt said enthusiastically. He took a big gulp of his coffee and stood up. "Order breakfast while I get ready and then we can go," he directed at Blaine. "Today is going to be perfect!"

Sebastian shook his head, a smirk on his lips, as Kurt scurried back into the room. "Why do I feel like we're going to be dragging him away from the stores today?" he asked Blaine who was calling room service.

Blaine simply laughed. "Because we are."

From Sebastian:

For your eyes and ears only. I love you darling. I can't wait to see you. [video]

Hunter had been in a daze from the moment Sebastian called last night to now where he sat in the back of the Warbler rehearsal hall. Falling asleep was a struggle, Sebastian's performance with The Warblers plaguing him with questions he never thought he would have to ask. He knew that Sebastian's father let alcohol and the darkness around his heart consume him, but it never occurred to Hunter that Sebastian would do the same. It made him feel guilty for not being there for Sebastian when he needed him the most. But once he found slumber, his mind rewarded him with the sweetest of dreams; Sebastian walking through the door with the words, Darling, I'm home, falling from his lips. To then wake up to Sebastian's text, Hunter's head couldn't stop spinning. He couldn't wait until Sebastian was in town. They still had so much to talk about but he was ready. It was time they truly moved on.

"Mr. Clarington," Andrew called out for the third time. "You're supposed to watch us rehearse."

Hunter barely glanced up. "Yes, great. That was great."

The boys looked at each other, all wearing the same smirk. Ever since Valentine's Day their teacher had his head in the clouds, though they weren't complaining. They would take their lovesick teacher over their broken teacher any day.

SebastianSmythe : There's nothing quite like witnessing true love in the city of love. [photo] *WarblerBlaine *KurtHummel

SebastianSmythe : Shopping with these two may have been my worst idea yet though. Somebody (cough cough) has a shopping problem. *KurtHummel

Sebastian slipped his phone into his pocket with satisfaction and watched Kurt and Blaine, who were walking ahead with their arms linked, to see who would notice the notification first. It took him a few minutes, but Kurt was the first to pull out his phone. Sebastian smirked as Kurt read the tweets and turned to scowl at him.

"I do not!" Kurt yelled out to him.

Sebastian scoffed. "Yeah, ok. Whatever you say."

Kurt stuck out his tongue and pointed his phone at Sebastian to take a picture. Sebastian posed sultrily and Kurt laughed. "Dork," he muttered as he turned around, quickly going back into his twitter.

KurtHummel: My only problem is you slacking back there. [photo] *SebastianSmythe The faster you walk the quicker I'll be done. [moveitslowpoke]

WarblerBlaine: *SebastianSmythe *KurtHummel He's so sexy when he's bossy.

Kurt blushed at Blaine's tweet, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him in for a deep kiss. Sebastian rolled his eyes. He went to reply but paused when his phone rang. He smiled brightly at Hunter's name. He let himself fall back further away from Blaine and Kurt and answered the call.

"Good morning, darling," he greeted seductively.

Hunter blushed crimson. "Good morning to you too, Bas," he spoke softly. Sebastian had to bite his lip to stop from grinning so hard. "I gotta be honest here; I didn't know you could be so romantic. First, flowers on Valentine's Day and now a song? I didn't know you had it in you."

Sebastian chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess being friends with Blaine all these years rubbed off on me."

"I guess so," Hunter replied gently. "Thank you for the song. It was beautiful."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Hunter said with a sigh. "I can't wait to see you. We have so much to talk about. There are too many things that were left unsaid. But I'm ready, Bas. I'm ready to listen."

Sebastian exhaled slowly, glancing at Blaine and Kurt who were wrapped in each other's arms without a care in the world. For a moment, he imagined it was Hunter and him. "And I'm ready to talk. No more holding back?"

Hunter glanced down the hall at the boys who were returning from break. He turned his back to them, a sweet smile on his lips. "No more holding back."

"That bitch is lucky Gordon wasn't there or I would've had her ass fired," Kurt complained for what felt like the hundredth time. Sebastian and Blaine glanced at each other annoyed. "I mean, can you believe her?" he directed at Blaine who forced a smile. "How dare she talk to me like I'm less than a person just because I'm not famous? It's not even like I wanted her treat me differently just because we're soulmates and friends with you," he nodded towards Sebastian. "But I do deserve to be treated like a person, not like I'm someone's accessory." Sebastian gave Blaine a look and he knew Sebastian was about to snap. "And did you see how she responded to the lady next to us for when she asked about the duck? Like, excuse the fuck outta you bitch. Not everyone eats duck on a regular basis. And did you see her awful hair dye job? Like, come on! Ain't no way in hell-"

"Seriously, Kurt, enough already!" Sebastian interrupted with a shout. "We get it, the waitress was an undignified peasant. But for fucks sake, please stop bitching before I duct tape your mouth shut!"

Kurt gasped, his eyes wide, as they stepped off the elevator. "Blaine would never let you." Kurt turned to Blaine who had his lips pressed together, a guilty look in his eyes. "Blaine!"

"Of course I would never let him," Blaine assured him. "But honey, you've been complaining all afternoon. You're kinda killing me here."

Kurt stopped in his tracks and looked back and forth between the two. "It has not been all afternoon. I didn't say a damn about that bottle blonde bitch the entire time we were at the museum."

"Yeah but only because you were too busy getting Blaine to take a picture of you with every single exhibit," Sebastian deadpanned. "But from the moment you stepped into the car you have not stopped running your mouth."

Kurt bristled and crossed his arms. "Fine. Be like that then. I just won't talk for the rest of the day." He turned on his heel and walked away from them towards his room.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be more dramatic than you," he teased lightly. "Aren't you going to go after him?"

Blaine shook his head, his eyes lingering on Kurt's ass. "Nope. Let him stew. He'll take it out on me later," he said with a wink.

Sebastian threw his head back in a laugh. "Anderson, you dirty dog. I've taught you so well."

Blaine playfully shoved him. "Come on, let's go drop these bags off and get back downstairs. I'm starving."

By the time they made it to the hotel restaurant, Kurt had completely forgotten about the waitress and was too focused on all the ways he could take his aggravation out on Blaine. One suggestive whisper from Blaine was all it took for Kurt to want to skip dinner entirely and stay in the room for the rest of the evening. Sebastian found them entirely too amusing. In many ways, they were what he strived to be with Hunter. He knew they would never be the same, they would never be able to compare to the truly epic romance that was Blaine and Kurt. But he wanted the soft touches, the inside jokes only they knew. He wanted to give Hunter the world and for Hunter to share everything with him. He wanted to be so sickeningly in love that everyone around them wanted to strangle them. And one day they would, Sebastian was certain of it.

They were sitting around the table in Kurt's hotel room late that evening talking when Sebastian got an idea. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid it to Blaine. "Pull up my camera, B," he instructed.

"What am I recording?" Blaine asked as Sebastian stood up from the table and walked to the kitchen cabinet.

"Can't you record your own videos?" Kurt asked teasingly.

Sebastian shook his head. "Not this one," he smirked, walking back to the table with two pencils, a salad plate, and two different size mugs. "Start recording," he nodded at Blaine as he setup his makeshift drum set.

"You're on," Blaine replied.

"Hey there, guys," Sebastian greeted with an easy smile, twirling a pencil in his hand. "Tonight, for your viewing pleasure, Kurt and I are going to sing you a song."

"I'm sorry, Meerkat say what?" Kurt questioned with a raised brow, glancing at the camera then back at Sebastian.

Sebastian smirked. "Don't worry, Hummel, you got this," he winked as he started drumming on the table and humming the melody. Kurt recognized the beat immediately, a wide grin on his face. Sebastian sang to the camera seductively.

Sebastian

I don't wanna hear you've got a boyfriend

Sometimes you're better off alone

But if you change your mind, you know where I am

Yeah, if you change your mind, you know where to find me

'Cause I don't ever wanna be your boyfriend

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

Push another girl aside and just give in

Kurt joined in to harmonize.

Kurt, Sebastian

Girls love girls and boys (sophisticated, manipulated)

Girls love girls and boys (sophisticated, manipulated)

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

But girls love girls and boys

And love is not a choice

Sebastian nodded at Kurt and he took the verse.

Kurt

Pose, you've gotta save your reputation

They're close to finding out about your girlfriend

But if you change your mind, you know where I am

Yeah, if you change your mind, you know where to find me

'Cause I don't wanna save your reputation

And never did I think that I

Would be caught in the way you got me

Push another girl aside and just give in

Blaine momentarily forgot that he was recording and simply enjoyed their performance. They were electric together. "Yeah, whoo hoo!" he cheered as a fan when they finished, Kurt and Sebastian laughing. Blaine stopped the recording and glanced at them, a mischievous smile on his lips. "Guys, I just got a brilliant idea."

WarblerBlaine : Look at these two killing it with their *PanicAtTheDisco cover! *KurtHummel *SebastianSmythe [video]

WarblerBlaine : OH YEAH! Remember that one time when *KurtHummel teased about doing a livestream? ;) [livestream link]

"You're doing it wrong," Sebastian complained, moving Kurt's hand out of the way to move the mouse on the laptop.

"Am not!" Kurt snapped, slapping Sebastian's hand away. "The video's on, look!"

"Just because it's on doesn't mean they see us," Sebastian sing-songed.

Blaine sat next to Kurt on the couch who was sitting in-between him and Sebastian, shaking his head with amusement. Kurt and Sebastian interacting would forever entertain him. "Guys, I think it's working, look," he pointed to the numbers of viewers that was rapidly rising.

Kurt turned a smug look at Sebastian. "Told ya."

"Whatever," Sebastian rolled his eyes, a smirk on his lips. "Hey everyone!" he waved at the camera.

"Hi guys!" Blaine and Kurt greeted. "Can you hear us? Are we good?" Kurt asked.

The chat exploded with, yes we can hear you, and oh my god it's SebKlaine! The guys looked at each other bemused. "SebKlaine?" Sebastian asked them. "Is that what they're calling us?"

Blaine chuckled. "Apparently." He scrolled through the chat. "Alright everyone, we only have a short amount of time to chat with you so make the questions good."

The questions came pouring in. Some asked Kurt about what his life was like now that he was with Blaine and some asked about his future plans. Most asked Blaine about the tour or they asked Sebastian about the movie. But the ones that received the most attention, much to Kurt's dismay, were the ones that asked about his sex life with Blaine. Sebastian loved to mess with Kurt, and Blaine knew Sebastian well enough not to be surprised by his antics.

"Alrighty, next question."

"No!" Kurt shouted at Sebastian, smacking him on the arm. His face was beet red with embarrassment and he refused to allow Sebastian to ask another inappropriate question. "You are not allowed to pick questions anymore!"

Sebastian merely laughed. "Oh come on, it's not my fault the fans want to know all the kinky details of your life. I'm simply giving them the answers they desire most."

Kurt turned to Blaine. "Please make him stop," he begged.

Blaine shrugged. "Honestly, love, I couldn't stop him if I tried."

"Oh, here's one," Sebastian grinned. "Who's the screamer, Kurt or Blaine? Oh well, I can confidently say that Kurt is most certainly the screamer. And I know this because-"

Blaine quickly reached over and punched Sebastian in the arm. "Ok, alright," he said with a pointed look at Sebastian. "That's enough questions for you."

Sebastian put his hands in the air in surrender. "I'm done."

"You better be," Kurt muttered, his cheeks red from embarrassment. "I don't even know how I'm friends with you."

Sebastian grinned, leaning his elbow on the top of the couch and resting his head on his hand. He blew Kurt a kiss with an obnoxiously loud smacking sound and Kurt stuck his tongue out at him.

"Ok, let's see if we can find a real question," Kurt said as he scrolled through the chat. "Oh, here's one! Kurt, what would you do if you didn't want to be a fashion designer? Well, 3mR0se, if I didn't pursue fashion I would definitely pursue musical theater. Last year we did Peter Pan the Musical, and I of course was Peter, and it was absolutely amazing!"

Sebastian glanced at Blaine with an amused smile as Kurt told the fans of his time on stage. He watched the chat as the questions continued to pour in and smiled wickedly at a dare that was given to him. He looked over at Blaine who saw the dare and Blaine shook his head, his lips pressed preventing a smirk. He wasn't telling Sebastian not to do the dare; he was warning Sebastian that Kurt would undoubtedly flip out. But Blaine knew by the look in Sebastian's eyes that this was a dare he couldn't pass up.

"-and they had me strapped to a harness and we-"

"Hey Kurt."

Kurt huffed in annoyance and turned to his right. "What Sebas-" Sebastian cut him off by grabbing hold of Kurt's face and kissing him on the lips. Kurt screamed, mortified, and pushed Sebastian off. "Sebastian!" he shouted. "How dare you?!"

Sebastian raised his hands up and wore an innocent expression. "It wasn't my fault. DidiPita dared me. I had no choice."

Kurt gagged and turned away from him. "Oh my god, I think I'm going to throw up." He stood up abruptly and walked off. "I can't believe you let him kiss me, Blaine!" he yelled out.

Blaine shrugged as he and Sebastian scooted to the middle of the couch. "Haven't you figured out by now that I have no control over what he does? Besides, he's not that bad of a kisser."

"Yeah!" Sebastian shouted. "He would know."

Kurt came out of the bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth. "It was like kissing Finn," he mumbled with disgust.

Blaine gasped, placing a hand over his heart, and Sebastian's jaw went wide. "Are you saying that you've kissed Finn? Wow, Kurt, I had no idea you had such strong feelings for your brother," Blaine teased lightly.

Kurt gagged again. "Oh god, I think I'm going to sick," he grumbled and walked back into the bathroom.

Sebastian scooted closer to Blaine and put his arm around his shoulders. "Messing with him is seriously the best kind of entertainment."

Blaine shook his head and chuckled. "He's going to get you back for that and I will not stand in his way." Sebastian merely shrugged. "Alright everyone," he directed at the camera. "I think it's time we call it a night. And don't worry, MLvgren," he smiled softly. "Kurt's fine."

"I hate you both!" Kurt yelled from the bathroom, making both men laugh.

"Go tend to your soulmate, B," Sebastian said with an eye roll, removing his arm and shoving Blaine away. "And I'm going to go call mine before I get in trouble too," he winked at the camera, knowing full well that the fans would freak out over him mentioning his soulmate. "Bye everyone."

Sebastian clicked out of the chat and pulled out his cell phone as Blaine stood up and walked over to Kurt. "Don't hate me, Hummel. I can't take you on set if you hate me," he smirked. He went into his contacts to call Hunter but realized that it was five in the afternoon which meant that Hunter was at Warbler rehearsal. So instead of calling he sent him a quick text.

To Hunter:

Hey darling. I wanted to call but I didn't want to disrupt rehearsal. Blaine, Kurt, and I had a livestream and a fan dared me to kiss Kurt, which I did, but it was only a joke. I hope you aren't mad. I love you. Call me when you get home.

"Hey, you know he's probably still at Dalton, right?" Blaine said as he and Kurt walked back into the living room.

"Yeah, I realized that," Sebastian said as he pocketed his phone. "I text him instead."

"Well good, I did too," Kurt told him.

Sebastian raised surprised brow. "You have Hunter's number?"

Kurt nodded. "He gave it to me after the mob incident."

"What did you tell him?"

"That you kissed me as a joke and to not be mad at you," Kurt shrugged a shoulder. "And I don't hate you either, just so we're clear."

Sebastian snorted a laugh. "You're just saying that cause you don't want me to leave you behind tomorrow."

Kurt brushed imaginary lint off his shoulder. "Totes irrelevant. Any who, it's time for bed. We all have a long day tomorrow."

"You're just kicking me out so that you can finally take your frustrations out on Blaine," Sebastian teased as he headed to the door.

"Goodnight, Sebastian," Kurt said following him. "See you in the morning."

"Bye," Sebastian laughed as he walked out.

The moment Kurt closed the door, Blaine's lips were on Kurt's neck. "Oh how wrong Sebastian is," he purred into Kurt's ear gruffly. "You will be doing no such thing tonight."

"Oh no?" Kurt questioned breathlessly.

Blaine shook his head and turned Kurt around, slamming him into the door. "No," Blaine said firmly, his eyes blazing. "No one is allowed to taste those pretty little lips but me."

Kurt gulped, his body shivering with anticipation. "I'm sorry, Officer Anderson, but it wasn't my fault."

Blaine pressed himself against Kurt, Kurt inhaling sharply. "That may be but you're the one who's been caught. You should be more careful as to who you spend time with, Mr. Hummel. Smythe is a very bad influence."

Kurt looked down then back up through his lashes. "I understand, Officer."

"Good," Blaine replied with a smirk. He pulled away and beckoned Kurt with his finger. "Follow me, Mr. Hummel. Let's discuss your punishment." Kurt nodded and followed, his heart hammering in his chest. They were in for a long night and he couldn't wait.

A/N: I hope you liked it. See you next time. :)

London Town

A/N: Hello my darlings. I have no reason for my absence other than life happened, but I'm back (hopefully), and updates should be kinda sorta regular again. Thank you for the patience.

I don't feel like this is my best chapter at all but after so long of being gone it's the best I got. I hope you like it.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being amazing.

Disclaimer: I own nothing other my imagination.

To Sebastian: I swear to God Sebastian if you ever kiss another man again outside of acting I will personally castrate you.

To: Hunter: Hey whoa! It was all a joke!

To Sebastian: I am well aware and thus I am not mad, not entirely. But those lips are mine, that body is mine, YOU are mine, and joke or not, I do not approve of anyone touching you in any way possible.

To Hunter: Well when you put it like that lock me up in your basement and never let me out. ;)

You're sexy when you're jealous.

To Sebastian: I am not jealous. I am simply claiming what I rightfully own. And I don't have a basement either. I'll just handcuff you to my headboard.

Hunter's phone rang only once before he quickly answered. "I'm still at Dalton. I can't really talk." He sounded breathless and it made Sebastian grin widely.

"Well aren't you a naughty little teacher," Sebastian said seductively. "Do the boys know you're sexting while they rehearse?"

Hunter scoffed under his breath, biting his lip and keeping his head faced away from his students so they didn't see the deep blush on his cheeks. "I was not sexting," he muttered quietly.

"Threatening to handcuff me to your headboard definitely qualifies as sexting, Hunter," Sebastian teased lightly. "I didn't know we were at that point of our relationship already."

"We're not," Hunter answered quickly, glancing behind him, relieved to see the boys too busy discussing their performance to pay him any attention. "I just don't like the idea of you kissing anybody but me, even if it was just a joke."

"So you are jealous."

Hunter bit back a grin. "I'm protective," he spoke softly. "I've been without you for too long. I can't help it."

Sebastian sighed wistfully. "I know, Darling. I miss you too. I'll be home as soon as I can, I promise."

"I love you," Hunter spoke just above a whisper.

"I love you," Sebastian replied in a way that made Hunter's heart race. "Get back to the boys. Call me later."

"Ok, I will. Bye."

"Bye, Darling."

Hunter ended the call and turned back to his students. He couldn't wait to see Sebastian again.

Sebastian grinned with excitement as he walked out of his dressing room in his complete Ryan costume. His morning had consisted of laughing at how much Kurt and Finn squealed over the props and the set, and watching Finn attempt to talk to Windsor without drooling. Showing them around had been much more fun than he anticipated and the day was far from over. It was just after lunch and Sebastian had a surprise for them. As far as they knew, Sebastian went to his trailer to make sure that Parrish hadn't torn the place apart. Truth was however, he was filming a fight scene and they were being allowed to watch. He couldn't wait to see their reactions.

He contained his excitement the best he could and stealthily walked from the trailers to lot three. He crept around one of the walls when he first heard Kurt's laughter and came up behind them. They were standing around with Stephen, who was no doubt telling them jokes at his expense. He stood up straight as he got into character and strutted their way.

"What's so damn funny over here?" he asked as Ryan, the difference between himself and his character so clear that Kurt and Finn whipped their heads around instantly. Kurt's jaw hung open and his eyes were wide with shock at how indescribably perfect Sebastian looked as Ryan. While Finn grinned impossibly wide and bounced on his feet.

"Dude!" Finn exclaimed. "You look freaking awesome!"

Sebastian smirked and dropped his character. "Do you like it?" he asked, lifting his arms to show off the tattoos.

Finn nodded approvingly. "Totally!"

Sebastian laughed a little and turned to Kurt who was still staring wide eyed. "So? Does it meet your exceptions?"

Kurt shook his head slowly and walked closer to Sebastian, dipping his head to get a better look at his tattoos. "I just," he continued to shake his head, though not in disapproval, but in disbelief. "You're just," he took a step back and gave Sebastian one final look then sighed. "It's prefect," he settled on with an almost dreamy smile. "I mean, I have notebooks filled with my drawings of how I pictured Ryan and never in a million years did I think I would find the perfect Ryan. And yet, here you are," Kurt gestured at him. "You're freaking perfect. This role was made for you."

Sebastian was surprised by how flattered he felt from Kurt's high praises and brushed them off, though he wore a soft smile. "Don't cry about it, Hummel," he teased lightly. "Or you'll miss the epic fight scene we're about to shoot."

"Dude, what! No way!"

"Seriously?"

Finn screamed and Kurt squealed simultaneously. Sebastian nodded eagerly. "Right this way, gentlemen," he said and walked past them, giving a smiling Stephen a high five as he walked past. Finn and Kurt let out what was probably their thousandth scream since they'd been there and quickly followed behind Sebastian. Today was seriously the best day ever.

Sebastian, Kurt, and Finn sat together eating a late lunch once Sebastian was done filming his scene. They were talking animatedly about the fight choreography, the special effects that would come into play later, and how far Sebastian's acting had come since his first movie, when Kurt noticed the man out of the corner of his eye. He was tall with sandy blond hair and an admittedly cute face. Kurt watched him from afar as he talked into the walkie and quickly headed inside one of the trailers. There was something drawing Kurt to the man but he brushed off the sense of deja-vu and continued with his conversation.

It wasn't until close to the end of their day that Kurt saw him again. Finn had gone off somewhere with Stephen while Kurt went with Sebastian to check on Parrish once more. They had just walked out of Sebastian's trailer when someone called out to Sebastian.

"Hey Smythe, before you go," the man Kurt saw earlier said in a rush.

Sebastian turned a smile at him. "What's up, Adam?"

"Denise needs to refit you real quick," Adam told him. "Apparently there was a fire of sorts and her measurements book was destroyed."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "I swear I've never known a more accident prone person in my life," he turned to Kurt. "Do you mind?"

"No, no. Of course not," Kurt waved him off, though his attention was on Adam. "Duty calls. I'm Kurt Hummel by the way," he introduced himself to Adam, extending his hand.

Adam shook it with an easy going smile. "Adam Crawford. It's lovely to make your acquaintance."

Kurt's eyes went a bit wide but he kept his cool. "You too," he answered quickly then turned to Sebastian. "I need to make a phone call so why don't you go do that and I'll be right there?"

Sebastian looked at him oddly but nodded. "Alright. I'll be a few trailers down, the one with the planets and moons decorating the windows."

"Got it," Kurt rushed out before turning on his heels and walking back into Sebastian's trailer.

He stood by the window watching and waiting for them to leave before pulling out his phone and making his call.

"Hello?"

"Dave!" Kurt whisper shouted as he began to pace frantically. "I thinkâI think I found him!"

Dave was quiet for a moment and when he spoke, his tone was harsh and broken. "Do not play with me, Hummel."

"I'm being serious!" Kurt assured him. "I didn't get a middle initial so I can't be one hundred percent sure but Dave, I just met a Adam Crawford." Kurt could hear Dave's heavy breathing over the phone. "What do you want me to do?"

Dave gulped. "Ask him if his middle initial is J, and if it is," Dave paused to take a deep breath. "If it's him, tell him I'mâI don't know," he laughed humorlessly though Kurt could hear the fear. "I don't even know. Tell him what you think is best. I trust you."

Kurt smiled softly. "I'll go talk to him and get back to you, ok?"

"Yeah, ok." Dave's voice was shaky but sure. He didn't want to get his hopes up but he needed to know if this man was his.

Kurt ended the call and with a quick breath left the trailer in search of Adam. He didn't have to look far though. As soon as he stepped out Adam was near the trailer waiting for him. Kurt stood frozen for a second as Adam approached him.

"Hello," he greeted and Kurt smiled a bit nervously. "Denise wasn't at her trailer so Sebastian went to look for her. I'm here to make sure you don't get lost," he said with an easy charm and Kurt smiled brighter. He seriously hoped this was the right Adam. Dave would swoon instantly and Kurt wanted Dave to feel what he felt with Blaine.

"That's fine," he said then cleared his throat. "Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about, if you have a minute." Adam raised a curious brow and nodded. "Is your middle initial J?" He asked cautiously.

Adam stood straighter, his eyes narrowed, and nodded. "How did you know that?"

"Does the initials D. P. K. mean anything to you?" Kurt asked in lieu of an answer.

Adam let out a breathy laugh and took a step back. His eyes clouded over and Kurt knew. "You know him, don't you? You know my David."

Kurt smiled. "Yeah. We're friends from school. I'm sorry for springing this on you," he said suddenly when he saw how truly overwhelmed Adam was. "He justâhe told me your name when he turned of age so when you introduced yourself I had to go call him and he wanted me to find out if it really was you, so I am, which you are," he rambled, pausing for a second to think of what to say, "which is awesome because he's a really great guy."

Adam lowered his head a little, a small smile on his lips. He had known that there was something off about today. When he turned of age eight years ago he started writing letters to David, every day for a few years, sometimes twice a day. Then he stopped, for no reason really other than not feeling like he needed to. He wrote the occasional letter here and there but it wasn't until a few months ago that he started his daily writings again, every morning like clockwork. Except for today. This morning when he sat down at his desk to write David, something didn't feel right. It was as though he wasn't ready to put his thoughts down on paper which was odd for him because his mind was always the clearest in the morning. Now he knew it was because his soul had been waiting for this moment.

Adam walked past Kurt and took a seat on the steps of Sebastian's trailer and Kurt sat next to him. "What's he like?" Adam asked him quietly.

Kurt exhaled slowly. "Dave's um, Dave's a good guy," he said with a small smile. "He's struggled a bit with some stuff but he's sweet. He has a good heart."

Adam looked up at him. "Struggled? How do you mean?"

"It's not my story to tell," Kurt said even though it involved him. "Just know that he's worked really hard to become the person he'd want you to be proud of."

"Do you think he'd be willing to speak with me?" Adam asked. He knew they weren't meant to meet any time soon because the anxiety wasn't there, but he could at least speak with him. They could start their journey to being together, if David was willing. Adam hoped he was.

"I'm not sure if he's ready for that," Kurt answered honestly. "But maybe he could write to you? He's been writing you letters since he turned of age so maybe he'd be willing to do that."

Adam's smile grew impossibly wide. "I think that's a fantastic idea. Here." Adam pulled a small notepad from his pocket and grabbed the pen that had been resting on his ear, quickly jotting down his mailing address. "Tell him he can write me whenever he feels ready, however long it takes. I'll be as patient as he needs me to be." He ripped the paper out and gave it to Kurt with a hopeful smile. "And tell himâtell him I look forward to hearing from him."

Kurt took the paper, folded it, and slipped it inside his pocket. "I will," he promised.

"Thank you, Kurt," Adam said with a bow, a wistful smile on his lips. "Let's go find Sebastian. We wouldn't want him to worry."

"Of course," Kurt said as he stood. "Adam?" Adam turned to him. "Don't be surprised if it takes him a little while to write to you. Like I said, he's working on himself."

"And it's like I said, I'll be as patient as he needs," Adam smiled sweetly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Kurt nodded, a small sigh of relief escaping his lips, and followed Adam to find Sebastian.

Dave stared at the address Kurt text him later. His heart was pounding and his emotions were swirling inside him like a hurricane. He couldn't believe that Kurt actually found his soulmate. He couldn't believe that his Adam was in London or that he was more than willing to wait for Dave to contact him with no question. Dave laughed a bit hysterically, tears of disbelief streaming down his cheeks. Without another thought, Dave grabbed a sheet a paper of his binder and began writing.

Dear Adam,

Hi, my name is David Paul Karofsky and I am your soulmate. This isn't the first letter I've started like this, but this will be the first you receive from me. I've been writing to you for a few months, ever since I turned of age. I have them set aside in a shoe box so that one day I can give them to you; so that you can know how I felt before knowing who you were. I have so many things I wish to tell you, and many more that I wish I didn't have to. But I have to trust that you will want me still when you learn how awful of a person I was, how awful a person I still feel like I am. That's why we're soulmates, right? Because out of everyone in the world, you're the one who's going to truly accept me. At least, I hope you do.

I should start from the beginning. I wasn't going to tell you any of this yet, but I feel like I should. I feel like it would be best if I'm upfront with you from the get go. It's what you deserve. Please, don't judge me too hard. Here goes.

"Dude, this is awesome!" Finn shouted to Sebastian over the loud music. It was their second to last night in London and Sebastian planned the entire evening for them.

"Welcome to London's night life," Sebastian shouted back at him, sending a wink Kurt and Blaine's way. "Follow me. I reserved us a spot."

They followed Sebastian through the packed club towards the VIP section. Kurt glanced over at Blaine a bit warily. "Should we be here?" he asked. "You know, with Sebastian's issues?"

"The only issues I have, Hummel, are your attempts at talking behind my back," Sebastian said with a smirk over his shoulder. Kurt froze and pressed his lips. "Relax, Kurt. I'm fine," he laughed lightly as he took a seat at the booth he reserved.

They sat down with Sebastian and Kurt looked at him sheepishly. "I didn't mean it like that," he said. "I just meant that, you know, I don't want you to put yourself in bad situation because of us."

"If that were the case then I wouldn't even be here with you right now," Sebastian assured him, waving a server over to them. "Besides, Blaine said I'm allowed to get you drunk so you better believe I'm taking full advantage of that," he teased. Kurt stuck his tongue out at him then pouted. Sebastian merely laughed while Blaine and Finn watched in amusement. "Can I get water, please," he told the waitress then turned to the guys. "Gentlemen?"

"I'll have water too," Blaine told her and laughed at Sebastian's scoff. "What? I have a show tomorrow. I can't get drunk."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Finn?"

"Uh, Rum and Coke?"

"Is that a question or a request, darling?" the waitress flirted.

Finn gave her a half smile. "A request."

The waitress nodded then turned to Kurt. "And for you?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. Give me a fancy London drink."

Blaine's eyes went wide and Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. "Oh, this is going to be too good," Sebastian said.

"What?" Kurt asked confused. He turned to the waitress to change his order but she was already gone. "What did I just order?"

"I think you said something about a fancy London drink," Finn said to him.

Kurt sent him an unimpressed look, then turned to Blaine. "What did I just order?"

Blaine shrugged a shoulder, a playful grin on his lips. "You'll see."

Not too long after, the waitress came back with two glasses of water, a beer, two shots of vodka, and a skinny glass that was close to two feet tall with a clear liquid inside. The waitress gave Finn his Rum and Coke, placed the mystery drink in front of Kurt, then gave Blaine and Sebastian their water and shots.

"Compliments from the owner," she told them. "A thank you for visiting our fine establishment."

Sebastian raised a brow at Blaine who sighed before downing both shots. He coughed a little and pushed the glasses towards the waitress. "Tell him thank you, but please, no more drinks for us. I have a show tomorrow and he doesn't drink any more," he nodded towards Sebastian who simply smiled at the waitress.

She nodded with understanding then turned to Kurt. "Are you ready, sweetheart?" she asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Um, uh, I guess," Kurt stammered.

Sebastian and Blaine sat back amused as the waitress reached into her apron pocket for two vials, a blue liquid and a green liquid. Finn watched with his mouth agape as she opened both vials and poured them into the clear drink. The mixed liquors swirled vibrant shades of pink and purple and smoke began to slowly billow from the top of the glass.

"What in the hell?" Kurt muttered with wide eyes.

"Enjoy," the waitress said and walked off.

"Dude, I think your drink is on fire," Finn said, captivated by the way the liquids swirled.

"What exactly is in the drink?" Kurt asked worriedly.

Sebastian chuckled. "No idea. All I know is I ordered the same thing many years ago and trust me, you're only going to need one," he winked.

Kurt glanced at Blaine who was smiling encouragingly. "Ok then, bottoms up," he said before bringing the straw to his lips and taking a long sip.

It took Kurt all of ten minutes to feel the alcohol coursing through his veins and he could not, no matter how hard he tried, stop giggling. Everything that was said, everything he saw and heard, was the most hysterical thing he'd ever witnessed. Finn couldn't help but laugh along with Kurt, his own buzz setting in. Sebastian had his phone out recording Kurt's behavior while Blaine sat back and watched his love amused.

"THIS IS THE BEST DRINK EVER!" Kurt shouted in-between giggles. He grabbed his drink, forgoing the straw, and took a large gulp. "I need another."

"No!" Sebastian and Blaine shouted simultaneously. "One is enough for you, hon," Blaine assured him.

Kurt shrugged and took another big gulp. Maroon 5's new song came on over the speakers and Kurt suddenly yelled excitedly. "I LOVE THIS SONG! GUYS! THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG EVER!"

"I'm pretty sure he said the same thing about the last three songs," Blaine whispered to Sebastian who merely laughed. "He's going to hate us in the morning for not stopping him."

Sebastian shrugged and zoomed in on Kurt who was gyrating his hips to the beat of the music. "You better work that into the bed tonight, Anderson," he teased though Blaine knew he was being completely serious.

"Just like animals, animals, like animals, mals," Kurt sang out. "Baby you think that you can hide," he pointed at Blaine as he sauntered over. "I can smell your scent for miles. Just like animals, animals, like animals, mals." He climbed over Sebastian and onto Blaine's lap, straddling his love and began giving Blaine a lap dance.

Blaine set his hands on Kurt's thighs and sat back, his buzz from the shots allowing him not to care just enough to enjoy the spectacle Kurt was making. For a moment he forgot that they were in a very packed public club and that they were essentially putting on a show for everyone to see. He lifted his hand to Kurt's cheek and brought their faces together in a tender kiss. Kurt shivered with a sudden want and ground his hips against Blaine's hard enough to release the sexiest little breathy moan Blaine had ever heard.

"Whoa, slow down gentlemen," Sebastian said with a laugh, breaking their spell. "You're going to give sasquatch nightmares." Finn was looking everywhere but where Kurt and Blaine sat. There was only so much affection he could handle seeing from his brother and that was certainly way past his comfort zone.

Kurt turned to glare at him, ready to snap, then his eyes went wide when he saw Sebastian still had the camera pointed at him. "Are you recording us?!" he yelled with an undignified squeal.

Sebastian nodded, a smirk on his lips. "I got the whole damn thing."

"Oh my God!" Kurt said scandalized. "You are such a pervert!" he slid off of Blaine though he sat close to him, keeping one leg over his lap.

"Awe, baby, pay him no mind," Blaine purred into his ear, speaking so quietly that only Kurt could hear. "He's just jealous. I'll let you finish your dance later." Kurt giggled and nodded, and Sebastian rolled his eyes though he wore a grin and turned off the camera. He was definitely giving the video to David for the video collage he was making for Blaine and Kurt's wedding day.

"Hey, I saw a game room downstairs," Finn said to Sebastian, still doing his best to ignore Blaine and Kurt's light make-out session. "You wanna go play darts or pool or something?"

Sebastian looked over at Blaine and Kurt who were lost in their world then back at Finn and nodded. "Lead the way, boyfriend."

Finn gave him a half smile. "Awesome," he said as he stood. He would never admit it to Kurt, but he kinda liked that Sebastian called him boyfriend. It made him feel cool.

Sebastian scrolled through the list of flights, his day planner open to dates two months later. Kurt and Finn had gone home that morning and after a tearful goodbye on Kurt and Blaine's part, Sebastian was reminded of how badly he wished he had the opportunity to have a moment like that with Hunter. Watching Blaine and Kurt throughout the week wasn't as bad as he feared, but it put things into a new perspective for him. He wanted desperately to have what they had and the next step towards it was to go see Hunter.

He found a flight he felt best suited their schedule and started the process of buying the plane ticket when he received a phone call. He frowned at the Ohio state phone number that appeared on his screen.

"Hello?"

"May I speak with Sebastian Smythe?" a woman on the other end asked.

"This is he."

"Mr. Smythe, I'm calling from the Ohio Social Soulmate Service." Sebastian's heart momentarily stopped. "I'm calling in regards to your father."

A/N: I'll be back soon, I think. Lol. I'm pretty sure. Love you guys.

Three Days to Fall

A/N: Hello my lovely readers. As always, thank you for the constant love and support. It means everything to me.

This chapter is not the new one. This is actually the Huntbastian chapter in Boys of Dalton. I know only a certain few have read this already and with the big Huntbastian chapter coming up, I figured I'd post this one on here for some detailed backstory for those of you who wanted to know more. You don't have to read this one if you don't want to either. I just thought I'd share it since we're coming to an end on everything. This is set a year after Hunter and The Warblers have graduated Dalton, two years after Sebastian.

Thank you MuseInMe3 for being the best beta ever. And thank you my wonderful lovely friend BritBoJangles for inspiring Terrifying Tiffany. ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

Hunter walked through the halls of Dalton for the first time since he'd graduated with a nervous smile. He was glad to be back, the memories flooding him as he walked past his old classrooms. But he was on edge today, had been all week in fact, and it was driving him crazy. He felt like his skin was crawling and he could only guess why. But he ignored it as best as he could. He couldn't worry about that right now. He needed to focus on being at the top of his class so that when he graduated Ohio State with honors, he could get hired at Dalton as the new History teacher. It was only fitting he took over the History Department. Their current director would be retiring in a few years and no one appreciated History like Hunter. That's why he was visiting Dalton to begin with, to ask the Dean if he could fill his required observation hours here. He let out a short breath as he turned the corner of the hall, smiling proudly when he passed the glass case filled with trophies from his senior year. He had only attended Dalton for a year but between the National State Championship trophy he helped the Warblers win and the Varsity Lacrosse team he helped lead to victory, he was part of a legacy.

He entered the Dean's office with a charming smile in place and walked up to the secretary. "Good morning, Mrs. Montgomery," he greeted his best friend's mother.

"Hunter, sweetheart," the petite woman said with a smile, getting out of her seat and walking around her desk. She pulled him into a quick hug before stepping back and cupping his face to inspect. "How are you, darling? Are you eating well? Not studying too hard?"

Hunter shook his head and rolled his eyes fondly. Wes' mother had always treated him better than his own. "I'm doing well, I'm eating fine, and yes, of course I'm studying too hard."

Mrs. Montgomery clicked her tongue disapprovingly though a smirk played at her lips. "You and my Wesley both, I swear. One moment he's working on a new song and the next he's cramming for some exam," she said as she walked back to her desk. "Now, what can I do for you? I'm sure you aren't here just to visit, considering you graduated less than six months ago. You can't have missed us that much already," she teased lightly.

"I'm actually here to speak with Dean Winchester," Hunter told her with a glance at the Dean's door. "Is he available? I was hoping he would approve me for my observation hours."

"He is but I can approve you," she smiled, holding her hand out to him. Hunter gave her his paperwork. "Dalton would be honored to have such a fine alumnus in its halls, and just maybe in a classroom permanently?" she said slyly.

Hunter chuckled. "Now, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I still have at least four years of school before I can even think of teaching here."

Mrs. Montgomery waved dismissively. "Knowing you, Mr. Clarington, you'll be done in two." Hunter smiled broadly at that. Wes' mother knew him entirely too well, not that it was surprising. He spent more time at the Montgomery home than his own senior year, and up until Wes left for California. "I assume you'd like to observe Mr. Williams' class?"

"Yes, ma'am," Hunter nodded. "When would I be able to start?"

Before Mrs. Montgomery could answer though, the Dean's office door opened and out walked Sebastian Smythe. Hunter felt like he got the wind kicked out of him. He had watched Sebastian's movie on Lifetime, he had seen plenty of pictures, and neither had prepared him for the true beauty that now stood a few feet away.

"It was great seeing you again, sir," Sebastian said with a sincere smile and shook the older man's hand. "I'll be sure to send my father your regards."

"Please do," the Dean said with a nod before turning towards Hunter. "Mr. Clarington, what a lovely surprise."

Sebastian inhaled sharply at the name, though no one but Hunter noticed it. "Good morning, Dean. I hope you don't mind my impromptu visit," he said with a tight smile. He could feel Sebastian's eyes on him and it made his heart beat frantically.

"Not at all," the Dean replied as he stepped over to him and shook his hand. "What can we do for you today?"

"He's here to fulfill his observation hours," Mrs. Montgomery answered and handed the Dean his paperwork.

While the Dean looked over the papers, Sebastian stepped closer to Hunter, a curious sparkle in his eyes. "I don't believe we've had the honor of meeting," he said, his eyes roaming Hunter's body, not missing the slight shiver. He smirked devilishly and held out his hand. "Sebastian T. Smythe."

Hunter gulped and grabbed hold of Sebastian's hand. Neither missed the electricity that shot through them. "Hunter N. Clarington."

Sebastian smiled so bright that it was almost blinding. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Hunter. I've heard a lot about you," Hunter nodded slowly and pulled his hand back as if he'd just been burned. Had Blaine spoken to Sebastian about him? Had someone else? "Nothing bad I assure you," Sebastian said with a wink.

Hunter ignored the thrill he felt from Sebastian's acknowledgment and turned back to the Dean. "Is it alright if I fulfill my observations here, sir?"

"Of course it is. There's no question about it," Dean Winchester replied happily. "It's actually Mr. Williams' free period. Would you like to talk with him now about when would be the best time to come in? I'm sure your classes are keeping you busy."

"That would be great, thank you Dean," Hunter smiled politely.

"Not a problem. Why don't we walk together and you can tell me about how school is going?" the Dean suggested.

"Sure," Hunter said with a nod and walked out of the office with the Dean and not another word to Sebastian.

Sebastian stood frozen and watched Hunter walk away in awe. In all the conversations he had with Blaine, not once had he mentioned how utterly gorgeous Hunter was. And now that they'd finally met, he couldn't help but feel stupid for not asking Blaine to send him a picture.

"Did you need something else, Mr. Smythe?" Mrs. Montgomery asked knowingly. She'd seen enough soulmates find each other to know what just happened.

Sebastian shook his head. "No, thank you. I'll be going now."

Mrs. Montgomery smiled and waved goodbye as Sebastian left the office. She glanced at the picture of her son on her desk and sighed. She couldn't wait until he found his soulmate.

Approximately thirty minutes later, Hunter exited the Dalton building and made his way towards his car. He felt like the world's biggest idiot. What had he been thinking walking away from Sebastian like that? Just because he was unsure of how their relationship would work out didn't mean he didn't at least want to give it a try and he left without even asking Sebastian for his number. He blamed it on the shock of finally meeting him face to face. On the other hand, Sebastian had let him walk away. He let Hunter walk out of the office without a word and Hunter couldn't help but feel hurt by it. Sebastian could've followed him and the Dean if he wanted. He could've made it a point to ask Hunter for his number. But since he hadn't, Hunter could only assume that Sebastian had no interest. Why would he? Sebastian was on his way to becoming a huge celebrity. What on Earth would he want with some college kid in Ohio, even if they were soulmates? It was probably for the best anyway.

Hunter breathed deeply, his head to the ground as he dug in his pocket for his keys. I knew we would never work. He looked up once he had his keys in hand and stopped dead in his tracks. Sebastian was leaning against his car with a smirk that Hunter wanted to slap off his face. And then kiss ferociously. This is not happening. He stepped towards Sebastian cautiously, unsure of what he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to feel.

Sebastian held his ground as Hunter approached him despite every cell in his body screaming at him to pull Hunter into his arms. He had called Blaine while waiting for Hunter to exit the building and Blaine told him to take it slow, warned him even. I'm really happy you found him, Seb, but please remember that he's heard a lot of negative things about you. He's going to be cautious with you, scared even. If you want this to work, be careful not to overwhelm him. Sebastian could only guess what Hunter had heard about him and while he wanted to assure Hunter that he wasn't that guy, he knew that he kind of was. He needed to be smart about this. He needed to take things slow if he wanted things to work between them, and he did. More than anything, he wanted to have that person who completed him. He didn't want to waste his life away like his father.

"Sebastian," Hunter said when he was a few feet away and Sebastian didn't miss the suspicion in his voice.

Sebastian leaned off the car and took a couple of steps forward, letting his cocky exterior slip away for the moment. "Hello, Hunter. I hope you don't mind my waiting for you. I assumed this was your car by the Dalton Alumni and OSU stickers," he said with a hint of seduction. Hunter nodded but said nothing, too stunned to answer. "I was hoping we could talk."

Hunter started to say yes but remembered that he had an exam to get to. Plus, he wasn't ready to talk to Sebastian yet. He needed to find his footing first. "That would probably be a good idea," he said with the slightest of quivers. "But I have a class in thirty minutes that I cannot miss."

It hurt Sebastian's heart to hear the obvious mistrust in Hunter's voice but he understood why. "Of course. Would you perhaps like to go out to dinner tonight? We could talk, get to know each other a little better."

Hunter looked away from Sebastian's gaze. The gentleness of Sebastian's tone was making his head spin and he was certain it was a trap. Sebastian was cocky and arrogant and he played with guys like they were cheap toys. That much he knew to be true from the stories he'd heard and he refused to be just another conquest. He had every intention of saying no, but when he looked up and soft pleading eyes met his, he couldn't find it in him to deny the invite.

"There's a diner just off campus, Diner's Delight. I can meet you there at 7, if you'd like," Hunter suggested.

Sebastian smiled, wide and true, and it made Hunter's already frantic heart beat faster. "Sounds perfect, I'll be there."

Dinner with Hunter hadn't gone over nearly as well as Sebastian had hoped. It seemed like the stories surrounding him at Dalton were worse than he thought because Hunter was completely closed off. But he didn't let it get to him. He wasn't about to let his stupid friends, if he could even call them that, get in the way of earning Hunter's trust. The only Dalton friendship he truly cared about was Blaine and Sebastian knew that he would never have said anything bad about him. If anything, Blaine would've been the one to defend him. It seemed though that Blaine wasn't exactly Hunter's favorite person, which shocked the hell out of Sebastian because everyone loved Blaine.

They didn't talk much during dinner. The conversation couldn't seem to flow between them and though both asked the other questions, their answers were short and to the point. Hunter was hard, cold even, and Sebastian was having a hard time reading him. It wasn't until Blaine was brought up that Sebastian saw a true spark of emotion and it wasn't one that he expected.

"So how exactly did you hear about me?" Hunter had asked out of nowhere. Sebastian raised a questioning brow and Hunter continued. "Earlier you said you'd heard a lot about me. I'd like to know how."

Sebastian hesitated for a moment before answering. "It was from Blaine actually," he said and he didn't miss the flash of anger in Hunter's eyes. "He mentioned you a few times, said that you and Wes were really close."

Hunter nodded. "Yes, Wes and I are really good friends. What else did Blaine tell you about me?"

"That you were brilliant and strong willed," Sebastian answered honestly. "That you were the type of guy who would keep me on my toes."

Hunter scoffed to himself and sat back in the booth. "Of course he'd tell you," he muttered under his breath. "You are his best friend after all," he drawled and Sebastian didn't miss the bitterness in his tone.

Sebastian furrowed his brows. "I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at, Hunter. Blaine's a good guy. He's never said anything bad about you."

Hunter rolled his eyes and huffed. "Drop the act, Sebastian. I know he told you."

"Told me what?"

"That he knew!" Hunter all but shouted. "Why else would he talk to you about me unless he told you that I confided in him?!"

Sebastian sat back as realization set in. "He knew you were mine? I mean," Sebastian ran his fingers through his hair and chose his words carefully. "Of course he knew, I told him on my birthday when I was still at Dalton, butâhe knew I was yours? You told him?"

Hunter saw genuine confusion on Sebastian's face and looked away. "Iâhe was my roommate and he's, you know, Blaine can-do-no-wrong Anderson. I figured if I could trust anyone with your name, it'd be him."

"Well you figured right. I had no idea you told him. He only talked about you when I asked him, which I only did a few times because I never wanted to put him in the middle of us," Sebastian told him with sincerity. "Honestly, the only reason I even knew you were at Dalton was because he was going on and on about how Jeff and Wes got into it during rehearsals one day and you were the one that stopped them. I don't think he meant to mention your name." Hunter nodded but said nothing and Sebastian could tell that he wasn't convinced.

The rest of their night had been filled with awkward pauses and Sebastian was determined to make things right. He held the bag of muffins in one hand and the coffee tray in the other as he approached Hunter's apartment door. They had parted ways the night before without exchanging numbers again and Sebastian had to ask around campus to find out where Hunter lived. But there was no way in hell he was going to give up on them that easily. It was just one dinner. No one falls in love after just one date. Sebastian reached Hunter's door and took a deep breath before knocking. God I hope this doesn't bite me in the ass.

Hunter looked up from his research paper in confusion. Who could possibly be visiting him so early in the morning? He set his pen down and removed his glasses before getting up from his desk, sighing with annoyance at being disturbed, not that his paper was due for another three weeks, but that was irrelevant. He always completed his work way before it was due. Besides that, his mind was still reeling from the night before and he needed the distraction. Another knock on his front door quickened his pace.

"I'm coming," he called out as he reached the door. "I swear to God Bradley if it's you, I'm going to-" Hunter's breath hitched when he saw that it wasn't the irritating sophomore next door but Sebastian. "Sebastian?"

"Good morning, darling," Sebastian greeted with a cocky smirk. "Can I come in?"

"Um, yeah, I guess," Hunter stepped aside and let Sebastian enter his single bedroom apartment. "What are you doing here? How did you even know where I lived?"

"I asked around," Sebastian said with a shrug, looking around Hunter's place before turning to him with a smile. "A charming smile goes a long way. Coffee?"

Hunter raised a surprised brow but took the coffee cup from Sebastian's hand. "Thanks."

"Sure thing. The pretty blond said you take it black," Sebastian said as he opened the muffin bag. "She also said blueberry muffins were your favorite."

Hunter chuckled with disbelief and shook his head, gesturing to the couch. Sebastian took a seat and Hunter followed. "Exactly how many people did you ask about me?"

Sebastian took a sip of his coffee with that smirk that Hunter was becoming way too accustomed to. "Not that many. Enough for them to think I'm your soulmate though. Apparently, you're a bit of a hermit crab, so you having a gentleman caller is kind of a big deal," he said with amusement.

"Let me guess, Lisa, the redhead with huge boobs, told you this?" Hunter asked with an eye roll.

Sebastian laughed. "How'd you know?"

"She's been trying to get me to go out with her for months. She doesn't believe me when I tell her I prefer cock," Hunter said with irritation and Sebastian choked on a bite of muffin. "What?"

Sebastian took a sip of coffee and cleared his throat. "Nothing. I just hadn't expected you to say that."

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours, the tension between them thickening with each passing moment. When Hunter finally spoke, his voice was laced with suspicion and mistrust and it made Sebastian's heart ache in a way he wished he never experienced again.

"Why are you here, Sebastian? What do you want with me?"

Sebastian was thrown by the questions. "What do you mean? I'm here because I want to get to know you."

"Really?" Hunter asked unconvinced.

"Yes, really," Sebastian said with conviction. "Hunter, you're my soulmate, my one and only. I know I don't have the best reputation but that means something to me. You mean something to me. No offence, but you're crazy if you think that I'm not going to fight for you, for your trust," he spoke softly. Sebastian wasn't used to feeling so vulnerable but being near Hunter did things to his heart that made him want to profess his love through song. He mentally laughed at the thought. Blaine would never let him live that down.

Hunter looked away from Sebastian's intense gaze and nodded. "I'm sorry. It's just weird having you around," Sebastian nodded in understanding but said nothing. "Why don't you tell me about what you're doing with your life right now? I mean, I know you did that movie a little while back. Any plans for a new one?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

Sebastian grinned at the easy topic and told Hunter all about his latest auditions and his agent's high hopes for his career. Hunter listened intently, adding his own commentary here and there, but mostly he just listened to Sebastian talk about himself. Sebastian's voice was almost hypnotic and he found himself thinking that he could listen to Sebastian talk for the rest of his life. When it came time for Hunter's first class, they exchanged numbers and the promise to meet up again for dinner. Hunter smiled to himself as he leaned against his front door after Sebastian left. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

From Sebastian [12:17pm:

Knock knock

From Hunter [12:20pm:

Really? A knock knock joke? That's your first text message to me?

From Sebastian [12:21pm:

Don't be such a sour sport.

Knock knock

From Hunter [12:25pm:

This is ridiculous.

Who's there?

From Sebastian [12:25pm:

Dover

From Hunter [12:26pm:

âDover who?

From Sebastian [12:26pm:

Ben Dover I got a big surprise for you. ;)

From Hunter [12:37pm:

Are you serious right now?

From Sebastian [12:37pm:

Oh come on! That was hilarious!

From Hunter [12:39pm:

That was not funny. Not even in the least bit.

From Sebastian [12:40pm:

You are no fun.

From Hunter [12:41pm:

Nope. No fun to be had here. Now stop texting me. You're going to get me in trouble.

From Sebastian [1:26pm:

I think this girl is stalking me. What should I do?

From Hunter [1:30pm:

What girl? Where are you?

From Sebastian [1:30pm:

I don't know. Some short black girl with bright pink highlights. I'm sitting by the Sphinx Plaza and she's just staring at me with crazy eyes.

From Hunter [1:31pm:

First of all, what the hell are you still doing on campus? Second, that's Tiffany. Do not talk to her Sebastian!

From Sebastian [1:35pm:

I'm on campus because I'm bored and I have nothing else to do other than sit on my ass. I may as well do it here and be close to you.

Wow, that sounded really cheesy.

She seems nice. Why can't I talk to her?

From Hunter [1:36pm:

You're right it was cheesy. Butâit was also kind of cute.

Kind of.

Forget I said that.

From Sebastian [1:37pm:

Too late. You said I'm cute. ;)

From Hunter [1:37pm:

Wait are you talking to her?! DO NOT TALK TO HER!

From Sebastian [1:39pm:

Oh crap. She knows who I am from my movie and she's pulling out a notebook filled with pictures of me. I think she thinks I'm into her. Fuck.

From Hunter [1:40pm:

I tried to warn you.

From Sebastian [1:41pm:

SAVE ME!

From Hunter [1:41pm:

No can do. Sorry. Gotta go.

From Sebastian [1:45pm:

HUNTER!

From Hunter [3:20pm:

Tiffany's in class with me right now. Why is she looking at me like she wants to stab me in the eye? What did you do?

From Sebastian [3:25pm:

You know, this campus coffee is surprisingly exceptional.

From Hunter [3:25pm:

Sebastian what did you do?

From Sebastian [3:26pm:

Seriously. Who needs Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts coffee when OSU's coffee is so much better?

From Hunter [3:27pm:

Sebastian.

From Sebastian [3:28pm:

It's also so much cheaper. I call that a win. These idiots on campus with their overpriced lattes and cappuccinos are dumb as hell.

From Hunter [3:28pm:

SEBASTIAN! Why in the hell did she just say to me, and I quote, "If you hurt Sebastian I will find you in your sleep and gauge your eyes out!" Answer me right now Sebastian whatever the hell your middle name is Smythe or I swear to God I will never talk to you again!

From Sebastian [3:30pm:

Wow Hunter, overdramatic much? ;p All I did was tell her that you were my soulmate and that there was no way in hell I would be with her even if you weren't because, as you said earlier, I prefer cock. It's not my fault she didn't take it well. And for the record, my middle name is Thomas. Care to tell me yours?

From Hunter [3:31pm:

We call her Terrifying Tiffany for a reason. I'm not being overdramatic if I have a legitimate reason to be worried. Why the hell did you tell her anyway?

From Sebastian [3:32pm:

She was planning our wedding, Hunter. OUR WEDDING! She had cutouts of me and everything! I had to tell her something.

You failed to tell me your middle name by the way.

From Hunter [3:33pm:

It's your own damn fault for talking to her in the first place.

And it's Nolan.

From Sebastian [3:33pm:

Hunter Nolan Clarington. I like that. :)

As much fun as it's been walking around campus, I have to head out. Are we still on for dinner?

From Hunter [3:35pm:

Yes, we are. Same place at 6?

From Sebastian [3:36pm:

See you then.

Hunter and Sebastian decided to go to a pizza parlor for dinner instead of the diner and regretted it as soon as they saw that Tiffany not only worked there, but she was their waitress. Or rather, Hunter regretted suggesting the pizza parlor. Sebastian was having too much watching Hunter squirm under the girl's angry gaze. Hunter was such a serious person that Sebastian adored seeing him out of his comfort zone. It was refreshing and sexy, and Sebastian didn't bother to hide his amused smile. He could get used to having Hunter around very easily, if he wasn't already.

"You planned this," Hunter muttered under his breath, side eyeing Tiffany who was watching them.

"You're the one who chose this place, not me," Sebastian said with a scoff.

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Hunter asked as he tried to fight the smirk that threatened to show. "First, you show up at my apartment completely announced, then you get me in trouble with my least favorite professor, and then you make me Terrifying Tiffany's new target! My life is over and it's entirely your fault!"

Sebastian threw his head back and laughed. "You really are quite dramatic," he said and Hunter sent him a glare. "How exactly did I get you in trouble anyway?"

"With that stupid joke you text me," Hunter rolled his eyes and tossed his crumbled up straw wrapper at Sebastian. "I couldn't stop laughing and now I'm on his shit list."

"I knew you found it funny," Sebastian smirked smugly. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble but that shit was hilarious."

Hunter shook his head, unable to hold back a grin. "It was stupid and I hate you for it," Hunter glanced at the front counter to see Tiffany still giving him the death stare. "And I hate you even more for that," he said with a sideways nod.

Sebastian sat back in his seat, a mischievous smirk. "You know, if it's bothering you that much, I can talk to her for you, ask her to back off."

Hunter's eyes widened in alarm. "Don't you dare," he warned.

Sebastian winked at him and turned to face Tiffany. "Hey Tiff-"

"No!" Hunter cut Sebastian off by reaching over the table and covering Sebastian's mouth with his hands. Sebastian turned back to him, a wide grin in place and a sparkle in his eyes that made Hunter's heart melt. For a moment, he completely forgot about being cautious and let himself drown in the beautiful hazel green swirls.

"Is everything ok over here?"

Tiffany's bitchy tone broke the spell and Hunter quickly pulled his hands back, unintentionally placing them on top of Sebastian's on the table. Sebastian kept his eyes locked on Hunter and intertwined their fingers before Hunter could pull away. Hunter looked down at their interlaced fingers and bit his lip as a blush crept up his cheeks.

"Yeah," Sebastian finally answered, his eyes still on Hunter. "Everything's perfect." Hunter smiled despite himself, the blush on his cheeks deepening, and in that moment, Sebastian knew he was in love.

Hunter glanced sideways at Sebastian, questioning whether or not it was a good idea to skip his classes to go to the carnival. Sebastian was drumming on the steering wheel and singing along to the radio, and Hunter had to force himself not to stare. He still wasn't exactly sure how he let Sebastian convince him to play hooky. All he knew was that when Sebastian showed up at his apartment that morning in jeans and his Dalton sweatshirt, and a promise that their day would be amazing, he couldn't find it in him to say no.

The night before had gone much smoother than Hunter had expected. Dinner had been filled with laughter and light teasing, and Sebastian stared at Hunter like he was the most beautiful thing on the entire planet. It was both flattering and unnerving. By the end of the night, Hunter felt like he was floating on air. Sebastian had walked him back to his apartment hand in hand and their fingers fit so perfectly together that Hunter hadn't wanted to let go. He had prepared himself for the inevitable goodnight kiss, a part of him still holding onto the fear that Sebastian only wanted sex. But when they reached his door, Sebastian simply brought their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed Hunter's fingers gently before departing. Hunter hated to admit it, but he was swooning.

Hunter looked at Sebastian again, only this time, Sebastian was glancing at him with a curious smirk. "What?" Sebastian questioned.

Hunter shook his head and looked out the window. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"About?"

Hunter was quiet for a moment and when he replied, his voice was softer than he intended. "Is this what you do with all the guys? Take them to carnivals and then take them home?"

Sebastian stopped the car, never more grateful for a red light then that very moment. He turned to Hunter with sad eyes though Hunter didn't see, his vision focused on the trees outside. Sebastian reached over the middle and grabbed Hunter's hand to hold. Hunter looked down at their hands but refused to meet Sebastian's gaze.

"No," Sebastian answered with firm conviction. "I'm a jerk to those guys. I'm rude and obnoxious and I act like an arrogant prick. But you? You're not one of those guys, Hunter. You're my soulmate and that means something to me. You mean something to me," Hunter finally looked up and was surprised by the amount of vulnerability in Sebastian's eyes. "If I have to spend the rest of my life proving that to you then I will. I'm not letting you go without a fight."

Hunter gulped and nodded, looking down at their hands before bringing them up to his mouth and lightly pressing his lips to Sebastian's fingers. "Ok."

Hunter started to bring their hands back down but Sebastian stopped him, raising them up to Hunter's face. His thumb gently grazed Hunter's cheek and Hunter leaned into the touch. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

They spent most of their morning standing in line for different rides, Sebastian making it a point to touch Hunter in some form. If they weren't holding hands, Sebastian had his arm around Hunter's waist or on his shoulders. Hunter wasn't exactly sure how he was supposed to react to the constant yet simple sign of affection but he never pulled away. At one point while they were standing in line for a roller coaster, the person in front of Hunter tripped which forced Hunter to quickly step away and directly into Sebastian's arms. Both tensed for a moment at the unplanned hug. Not wanting to overwhelm Hunter, Sebastian started to move away but Hunter gripped onto Sebastian's sweatshirt and stopped him. Sebastian glanced down with a curious smirk and Hunter couldn't stop his blush if he tried. Sebastian chuckled softly and fully wrapped his arms around Hunter in an embrace. Hunter inhaled deeply, his senses drowning in Sebastian's scent. Sebastian leaned down and left a faint kiss on Hunter's cheek, Hunter's blush deepening at the gesture.

"Making you blush is my new favorite hobby," Sebastian said huskily into Hunter's ear.

Hunter huffed and tried pushing Sebastian away, but Sebastian grabbed his bicep, turned him around, and pulled him back so that he could wrap his arms around Hunter from behind. They took a few steps forward as the line moved before Sebastian whispered in Hunter's ear.

"You're beautiful."

Hunter tried desperately to stop himself from shuddering as Sebastian's breath lingered on his neck but failed miserably. "I hate you," he had muttered.

Sebastian grinned and kissed the crook of Hunter's neck. Hunter felt like his body was on fire. "No you don't," Sebastian had replied and really, he didn't. Not even a little bit.

They tried to take a break from the affection during lunch and sat across each other instead of next to, but their legs ended up intertwined underneath the table and neither pulled away. Their afternoon was filled with laughter as they played the games, challenging each other on who would do better and making silly bets. By the time the evening came around and the sun began to set, the crowd greatly increased so they decided to take a walk on the boardwalk.

They were quiet at first, simply enjoying the serenity and the newfound closeness. But the further away they got from the carnival, the antsier Hunter became over a question that had been burning in the back of his mind.

"You never did tell me why you were in Ohio," Hunter said as they walked hand in hand. "Shouldn't you be in California with the others taking over Hollywood?" He teased lightly.

Sebastian chuckled. "They are going to take over Hollywood aren't they?" Hunter laughed and nodded. "Did Wes tell you what their name is?"

Hunter scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, those idiots."

"Right! Like, couldn't they come up with something better?"

"According to Wes, they wanted a name that wouldn't be forgotten," Hunter imitated Wes' voice and Sebastian smirked at him. "I told him that they could be called Monkey Bananas and they'd still become insanely famous. Between Sterling's moves and Anderson's vocals, they are set."

"Yeah they are," Sebastian laughed. "The world is not ready for them, that's for sure."

"Or you for that matter," Hunter said with teasing smirk. "Which brings me back to my original question. What are you doing in Ohio?"

Sebastian sighed, not feeling particularly chatty about the topic but not wanting to lie to Hunter about it either. "I'm visiting my dad," he said and Hunter immediately picked up on the distaste. "He just got out of a SSAA clinic."

Hunter's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh. It's not the first time he's been in one. I doubt it'll be the last," Sebastian said with a forced smile.

"What happened to your mom?" Hunter asked cautiously.

Sebastian kept his head down and shrugged a little. "She left when I was 10. Apparently my father and I were suffocating her creativity," he drawled sarcastically. "She's probably on some island drinking a margarita and writing her memoirs," Sebastian glanced at Hunter and saw sad but caring eyes. "Her dreams and her career were always more important than us. I remember watching her write in her study and she'd get so mad at me because I was distracting her thought process, which I never understood. All I did was sit there. My dad was devastated when she left. He started drinking a lot and the next thing I knew he was gone too and I was left to fend for myself. Dean Winchester was our neighbor and after a particularly rough night, he forced my dad to get help."

"What happened?" Hunter wondered with growing curiosity.

Sebastian didn't answer right away, taking a moment to gather himself. He hadn't really spoken about his family in years, Blaine being the last person he opened up to his junior year at Dalton. But he wanted Hunter to know. He needed Hunter to know. "I was about 13 and he um, he was really, really drunk. I'm talking completely wasted. It was just after midnight and I had snuck into my mother's study because I thought he had already passed out for the night. She had a very extensive library and I used to go in there to read her books. Well, he caught me and the next thing I know, he was ripping the books apart and throwing them at me and screaming that it was my fault she left. He kept saying, How dare you come into her sanctuary! Her books are ruined now and it's your fault! When she comes back she's not going to want to stay because of you!" Sebastian mimicked his father's angered voice and he internally cringed at how perfect the imitation was. "The Dean drove him to the clinic the next day and took me in while my father was treated."

They came across a bench and took a seat, Sebastian draping his arm over Hunter. "How long was he in there for?"

"About ten months that time. He went back in like six months later though," Sebastian said with an exhale. "He's been in and out of clinics ever since."

"I'm sorry Seb," Hunter spoke softly. "That's a really shitty way to grow up."

Hunter wasn't being cruel, he was simply being honest and Sebastian appreciated him for it. "It is what it is," he said with a small smile. "What about you? What's your family like?"

Hunter chuckled humorlessly. "My family is nonexistent," he muttered facing down.

"What do you mean?"

Hunter looked up and Sebastian's heart ached at the vulnerability. "When I was 9, my dad, my little brother, and I were on our way home from the movies and we got in a car accident. I survived but my dad died of fatal injuries and my brotherâhe died instantly. He was only 5."

Sebastian's jaw went slack, his eyes wide. "Oh my God."

"Yeah," Hunter said with a nod. "In fact not only did I survive, but I somehow managed to get out relatively unharmed. I had some scratches and bruises, and I got this scar," Hunter turned his body slightly and lifted his shirt to show Sebastian the faint scar on his ribcage. "But that's it."

Sebastian reached for Hunter's torso and gently ran his finger along the scar. "That's incredible."

Hunter sighed deeply and nodded. "My mom was surprisingly calm about the whole thing," he said as he lowered his shirt and settled back into Sebastian's arm. "She never cried in front of me but I could hear her in her bedroom those first few nights. She didn't mourn for long though. She took over my dad's firm, they were both lawyers, and she buried herself in her work, all the while making sure I was too busy with sports or school activities to truly grasp what happened."

"Did you have a good relationship with her though?"

"At first, yeah. Kind of. But the older I got, the more she worked. I barely saw her. Then when I was 14, she started setting me up on these play dates with the daughters of her wealthier clients. She used to tell me that if I made the right match we would be set for life," Hunter replied with an eye roll and a scoff. "I think it was after the fifth or sixth play date that I told her none of the girls would be my match because I liked boys. She all but disowned me at that point. I mean, it wasn't like I knew for sure that my soulmate would be a guy but I guess I said it with such conviction that she believed me. So off to boarding school I went."

Sebastian raised a brow. "She sent you to boarding school? Did she not realize that that's like, every gay boy's fantasy?" he joked lightly.

Hunter chuckled and shook his head. "I suppose not. But it wasn't my fantasy. I just wanted my mom, ya know? But she didn't want me. I even overheard her tell one of her friends that she had the wrong son. I worked my ass off to be perfect at everything, just to show her that I was worth something but it's didn't make a difference. She didn't care about me anymore."

"Jeez, that's fucked up," Sebastian breathed out.

Hunter shrugged. "It is what it is. I think she called like twice a year; on my birthday and during the last week of school to confirm my flight plans. My summers were spent with a housekeeper. Then the month before senior year she invited me to dinner, invited me Sebastian, as if I was a client, and fed me some bullshit line about wanting to be there for me when I turned of age for emotional support. But then when my birthday came a month into the school year and your name was on my wrist, that was it. She called and told me that I would be boarding at Dalton all year and that she had business to attend to in Japan. She even opened up my trust fund account so that I could access it. I wasn't supposed to get it until I was 21. That was the last time I spoke to her. My senior year consisted of weekends and holidays at the Montgomery household while she remarried and started a new family. The only way I even know that is because I got a letter in the mail from her with a wedding picture."

"Wow. No offense but your mom was a heartless bitch," Sebastian said with evident distaste.

Hunter nodded with a sigh. "At least she gave me my money."

"Is that how you're able to pay for your own apartment? I thought freshman had to stay in the dorms?" Sebastian wondered.

"They are but Mrs. Montgomery talked to the Dean of Admissions and Housing and the next thing I know, I have my own place. Not that I mind. I prefer it even. I'm used to being alone," Hunter replied sullenly.

Sebastian raised his hand to Hunter's face and cupped his cheek. "You're not alone, not anymore."

The gentle graze of Sebastian's thumb across his skin hypnotized Hunter. He looked deeply into Sebastian's eyes, certain that they were finally going to share their first kiss. But instead, Sebastian kissed his forehead lovingly before standing up. "Come on," he said with his hand out to Hunter. "Let's go play some more games so I can win you a giant stuffed animal."

Hunter smiled up at Sebastian softly and nodded. He took Sebastian's hand but instead of holding it, he wrapped his arm around Sebastian's waist and Sebastian draped his arm over Hunter's shoulder. "I want the biggest one they've got, Smythe."

"1000 tickets?! Are you being serious right now?" Sebastian asked the toy booth worker in disbelief, Hunter watching their exchange with amusement. "Can't I just buy the damn thing?"

"No can do kid," the worker said uncaringly. "1000 tickets or you can't get the panda."

Sebastian turned to Hunter. "We only have 300 tickets, Hunter."

"Well then, it looks like you've got some games to win," Hunter smirked with a teasing tone.

"Seriously," Sebastian deadpanned. Hunter nodded with the slightest of pouts and Sebastian melted. "Fuck. Fine. Come on."

Hunter laughed as Sebastian grabbed his hand and dragged him to the one game he was certain he could win. "This is going to be so much fun to watch," he said as he took a seat on the bench closest to the booth. Sebastian stuck his tongue out at him though a smirk played at his lips and hurried to the can knockdown booth.

Hunter watched with a wide grin as Sebastian successfully hit all the cans every single turn. He had spoken with the booth worker at one point and the young man started building higher and more difficult can towers. The more cans Sebastian knocked down, the more tickets he received. There was a moment where instead of playing, Sebastian watched a boy of about 6 attempt to knock the can downs. When he didn't succeed, Sebastian gave him a few pointers and helped him win. Hunter could only smile adoringly at the sight. He wondered if Sebastian and Christopher would've gotten along and for the first time in years, he felt truly sad for the loss of his brother. But then Sebastian congratulated the small boy with a high five and Hunter could only melt at Sebastian's joyful laugh.

The little boy left with his mother and Sebastian went back to playing until he had enough tickets for the giant panda bear. Hunter stayed on the bench and watched Sebastian go to the toy booth. He seemed to be struggling though, and it took Hunter a moment to realize why. The little boy he had been helping was crying because he didn't have enough tickets for the toy he wanted. Sebastian had glanced back at him with guilt before turning back to the booth worker and pointing to a large tiger. Hunter watched in shock as Sebastian bent down and gave the little boy the tiger. The little boy took it eagerly, staring at it in awe before tossing it to his mother and practically toppling Sebastian over with a hug. The warmth on Sebastian's face was breathtakingly beautiful and for a moment, Hunter didn't see a random little boy, but their son, their family. That was the moment Hunter fell head over heels in love with Sebastian.

Sebastian said goodbye to the child and his mother, pointed at a medium size koala bear, and walked over to Hunter with an unsure smile. "Hey, I uh, I got you this," he handed Hunter the toy as Hunter stood up without a word. "I know you wanted that panda but I couldn't stand to watch that kid cry and I-"

Hunter grabbed Sebastian by the collar and crashed their mouths together, successfully shutting Sebastian up. Sebastian moaned in surprise but quickly wrapped his arms around Hunter and pulled him close, deepening the kiss. Never in the entirety of Hunter's life had he felt such love, such passion. His body was thrumming with energy and desire, and instead of shying away from it, he let himself completely drown in it. Sebastian pulled back for only a second, a breathy laugh escaping his lips before kissing Hunter again only slower, more tenderly. Hunter melted into Sebastian's embrace and Sebastian put forth all of his compassion. He'd never felt so connected to someone else and he never wanted it to end.

A few catcalls and couple of disgruntled comments finally forced their lips apart but they stayed wrapped in each other's arms. "We should get out of here," Sebastian breathed out, his forehead resting on Hunter's.

Hunter nodded with a shy smirk. "Will youâwill you stay with me tonight?"

"Iâyeah," Sebastian chuckled. "Yes, I'll stay with you."

The moment the door was shut, Hunter leaned against it and pulled Sebastian into a searing kiss. Sebastian was caught off guard by Hunter's forwardness but quickly recovered, slotting his leg in-between Hunter's thighs and pressing his body against him, his hand sliding down Hunter's side. Hunter moaned and gyrated his hips, rubbing himself on Sebastian's leg.

Sebastian groaned at the feel of Hunter's hard-on and pulled back from the kiss. "Hunter, wait."

"Why?" Hunter breathed, chasing after Sebastian's lips.

"Too fast," Sebastian murmured against Hunter's lips. Hunter pulled back and looked at him questioningly. "Shouldn't we wait?"

Hunter bit his lip in the sexiest way possible. "I don't want to wait," he said lowly. He slid his hands down to Sebastian's ass and gave it a squeeze, moaning with zero reservation, his body shivering with anticipation. He moved his hand in-between them and palmed Sebastian though his jeans, smirking cockily at the sounds Sebastian elicited. "Don't you want me?"

"I do," Sebastian groaned. "So much. Butâ"

Hunter attached his lips to Sebastian's neck. "But what?" he muttered against Sebastian's skin, the vibrations going straight to Sebastian's cock.

Sebastian fought as best he could. He resisted his urges with every ounce of strength he had, knowing that they should be careful with their level of intimacy, especially since he didn't know when he was due back in LA. But he was weak, so very weak, and with another roll of Hunter's hips, he jumped head first with no looking back.

A/N: The next actual chapter should be posted soon. It's basically all Huntbastian with some Kurt, no Klaine, sorry. I hope you don't mind this installment of Huntbastian's past. See ya next time.

Rebuilding

A/N: Hello my darlings! Finally I have an update! Sorry for the wait. Life is hectic as always. This is the big Huntbastian chapter that I've had planned for months so there is no Klaine in this whatsoever, my apologies for that. While we're on the topic of Klaine, there won't be too many private Klaine moments left because this story is coming to an end. There are officially two, maybe three, chapters left after this and they will be wrapping everything up. It's been a hell of a journey but it's time I say goodbye to this fic. Thank you all for the love and support. It means the world to me.

MuseInMe3, thank you for everything.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

Burt glanced at Kurt in the backseat as he turned onto their street. He'd been quiet ever since Burt picked them up from the airport, while Finn rattled excitedly about their trip. Burt expected Kurt to be sad; he waited for the sorrowful tears even. But they never came and Kurt's eerily calm exterior was admittedly freaking him out.

"You ok back there, bud?" Burt asked him when Finn finally took a breath, just as they as pulled up the driveway.

"I'm fine," Kurt said with a small smile. "Just thinking."

Burt parked the truck and both boys began to unbuckle their seatbelts. "Go on ahead of us, Finn. Kurt and I will be right in."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Dad, I'm fine, really."

Finn gave them an awkward smile and quickly exited the truck. He reached into the truck bed to grab his luggage and hurried inside where Rachel was waiting for him.

Burt turned around in his seat and gave Kurt a soft look. "You know you can talk to me. What's wrong?"

Kurt sighed and looked away from his father. "Nothing's wrong, not exactly. I justâthis trip was kind of an eye opener."

"How so?"

"From the moment I met Blaine I knew my life would never be the same," Kurt spoke quietly. "I knew that my life would consist of shows and traveling around the world and crazed fans. But I don't think it really hit me until this week. It was like I was one person when I was hanging out with the guys then a completely different person when I was out in public." Kurt looked up at his father and Burt wondered when his son had grown up. "I guess I'm worried that once Blaine and I are always together I'll lose myself, you know? Forget who I am and where I came from."

"That's not going to happen, son," Burt assured him.

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm your dad and I know these things," Burt retorted with a smirk. "Kurt, every day when you go to school in your Cheerios uniform, you're one person, the person you've created to help get you through the drama of high school. And when you come home, you're just Kurt, no fuss no muss."

Kurt snorted amused. "No fuss no muss? Really, Dad?"

"I'm serious, Kurt. It's the same thing when Finn wears his jersey and letterman's jacket to school or when the girls wear their uniforms. Or when Carole wears her work uniform and I wear my overalls. We all put forward one person when we're in public or at work and someone else when we're at home away from prying eyes. It's human nature. It's what we all do in order to survive this crazy thing called life." Burt reached over and placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "But that doesn't mean you're going to lose yourself. Don't think that just because your soulmate is a famous pop star that you're going to forget who you are. You're a Hummel. You're too proud to forget your roots, trust me."

Kurt smiled a little and nodded. "Ok. Thanks, Dad."

Burt chuckled a little and patted Kurt's shoulder. "Anytime, son. Now let's head inside. The girls have been here since last night driving me crazy waiting for you."

Hunter was grading tests late Sunday night when he heard the faintest of knocks on his door. He looked up from his stack of papers confused. Who could possibly be here this late? He wondered if maybe it was a mistake and chose not to get up right away. But when another knock came, he arose from his seat to answer. He didn't think much of it. If anything he figured it was a carrier with package from Sebastian, not that he was expecting anything. He simply learned to always expect the unexpected when it came to his beloved. What he saw when he opened his door however, was the absolute last thing he imagined.

"Sebastian?"

Sebastian looked up from the floor, exhausted and a bit dazed from the lack of sleep. "Hey, Darling." He wore the tiniest of smirks but his voice was rough. "Surprise."

"What are you doing here?" Hunter asked astonished.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes, of course," Hunter answered, stepping to the side to let him inside.

Sebastian grabbed his suitcase and walked in wordlessly. He set his suitcase down next to the front door then walked over to the couch to sit with his face down and his hands folded in front of him. Hunter stood by the door for a moment and stared at him. His heart was racing at the sudden sight of Sebastian. He could tell there was something wrong and it worried him immensely.

Hunter walked around his coffee table and took a seat next to Sebastian. "Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?" he asked cautiously. "I hadn't expected to see you for a few months."

Sebastian stayed quiet for several minutes before answering. When he finally looked up at Hunter his eyes were filled with regret. "My dad's dead," he said a bit brokenly. Hunter's heart plummeted. "I got the call yesterday."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Hunter said so quietly that Sebastian barely heard him.

"They said he'd been fighting the darkness inside him too long and he just," Sebastian paused, his breathing becoming heavy, "he deteriorated into nothing. It's been months since I'd talked to him, never the less seen him. I didn't even get to say goodbye." Sebastian choked out and covered his mouth. "I didn't get to say goodbye," he muttered into his hands and broke into a sob. He'd been able to push the guilt aside his entire trip there. But now that he was in Hunter's presence, the guilt ate away at him.

Hunter pulled Sebastian into his arms instantly, unsure of what else to do, and let Sebastian cry into his shoulder. Sebastian gripped him tight, almost as though as he was afraid that Hunter would disappear. Hunter held him close and cooed gently. They sat there, late into the night until Sebastian's sobs turned into quiet murmurs and he eventually fell asleep.

Hunter laid him down on the couch, removed his shoes, and placed a blanket over Sebastian's body. Quietly he called the dean to inform him that he would be unable to attend school the next day due to a family emergency. Hunter then sat in his chair next to the couch and watched Sebastian sleep. He was just as beautiful as Hunter remembered if not more so. The stubble on Sebastian's face made him look older, more refined. It suited him, Hunter decided. He'd never been a fan of facial hair but on Sebastian, it worked. Hunter sat there for hours just staring at Sebastian, thinking about their future, until his eyes became too heavy with sleep to keep open. There he stayed the rest of the night.

Sebastian stirred awake late the next morning. For a moment he forgot where he was. But with a deep inhale, the familiar yet new scent filling his lungs, he remembered. He was at Hunter's apartment. He looked around the room as he sat up, only then noticing the blanket that had been draped over him. It made him smile a little. He stretched and let out a groan, grabbing Hunter's attention who was sitting at his desk grading papers.

"You're awake."

Sebastian turned around at him and smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm up." He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "What time is it?"

"Just after ten," Hunter answered as he stood and walked towards the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please," Sebastian nearly groaned. "Wait, why aren't you at school?"

"I took the day off. I wasn't sure if you'd need me for anything today," Hunter said calmly though his heart was racing. It had been easy to focus on his schoolwork when Sebastian was asleep. But now that Sebastian was awake, he couldn't help but be nervous. Sebastian must've sensed it because he was suddenly standing behind Hunter with his hands on Hunter's waist.

"Thank you for letting me crash here last night," Sebastian said softly with a light but loving kiss in the crook of Hunter's neck, melting the nerves away. "I'm sorry for just showing up like that."

Hunter exhaled a little shakily and turned around in Sebastian's arms. He placed his hands on Sebastian's chest and looked up through his lashes. He always did love how much taller Sebastian was than him. "No need to apologize. I'm just glad you were able to get some sleep. You looked exhausted."

Sebastian chuckled softly and nodded. "Yeah, I was." Hunter licked his lips but said nothing. Being this close to Sebastian was intoxicating. He couldn't figure out how he ever let him go. "I'm going to take a shower. I have a lot to do today."

"Ok," Hunter breathed. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Honestly? Yeah," Sebastian chuckled a little nervously. "I wasn't exactly keen on doing this alone."

"Go shower then," Hunter smiled with a gentle push. "I'll make breakfast and then we can head out."

Sebastian nodded, leaving a small kiss to Hunter's temple, before grabbing his suitcase and walking to the bathroom. It's weird, Hunter thought as he watched Sebastian walk away. He's never been in this apartment and yet, having him here makes it feel more like home than it ever has. Hunter smiled to himself. He could get used to having a home with Sebastian.

Sebastian showered quickly because despite the circumstances, he was glad to be there. Hunter not only lit a fire in him that no one else ever could, he also engulfed him in a warmth that took Sebastian's breath away. It was so easy to fall into domesticity with him. Approaching Hunter to give him a kiss came so naturally that it wasn't until after Sebastian walked away that he'd realized what he'd done. He worried that it was too much too soon. But Hunter had melted in his arms so maybe his affections weren't entirely unwarranted. Hunter had always been extremely dedicated to his job too. The fact that Hunter called in for him made his heart flutter in a way it never had. Sebastian was uncertain of what the week would bring for them, but he knew one thing for sure; he may have been called into town because of his father but that didn't mean he was going to waste a single moment with Hunter.

Sebastian walked into the kitchen and smiled softly at the sight before him. "You made my favorite."

"I did say I was going to make breakfast," Hunter pointed out, looking back at Sebastian over his shoulder.

Sebastian sat down at the dining table in front of a plate of pancakes and bacon. Hunter grabbed a mug and poured Sebastian a cup of coffee, setting it down on the table before turning back to the stove to finish his scrambled eggs. Sebastian didn't eat right away, opting to watch Hunter instead. Now that he had slept and was no longer consumed with his father's death, he could take the opportunity to really look at his love. Hunter hadn't grown much taller, but he had filled out more, his broad shoulders and strong back making him seem like an imperturbable force. Not that it surprised Sebastian. Hunter had always been the one to calm the storm that brewed inside him. Hunter's hair was shorter than Sebastian remembered but it suited him, and for a fleeting moment, Sebastian imaged running his fingers through it.

"Why are you staring at me?" Hunter asked with a raised brow as he took a seat across from Sebastian.

Sebastian smiled at him. "Sorry," he spoke softly, shaking his head. "I was just noticing how much you'd changed since I last saw you."

"Oh," Hunter replied and cleared his throat. "Your food's getting cold."

Sebastian continued to smile at him, making no movement to eat his breakfast. "Right."

They continued to stare for a moment and Hunter's cheeks slowly but inevitably tainted pink. Sebastian's smile widened. "What?" Hunter asked exasperatedly, a hint of a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Sebastian sucked in his lower lip and looked down at his plate. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not, nothing. Tell me," Hunter replied in what Sebastian could only describe as his 'teacher voice' and it made him grin impossibly wide.

Sebastian looked back up with a smolder in his eyes, the pink on Hunter's cheek deepening. "I was remembering how much I loved making you blush is all."

Hunter sat back shaking his head, looking everywhere but at Sebastian, an embarrassed smile on his lips. "Shut up and eat your damn food."

Sebastian chuckled and grabbed a piece of bacon. "You were always so demanding," he teased.

"And you were always so childish," Hunter retorted though it held no bite. "Like getting me in trouble in class my freshman year at OSU? Or making me skip for almost an entire week?"

Sebastian shrugged though he wore a proud smirk. "You still graduated with honors. I'd say sorry but I'm not." Hunter kept his head down, a shy smile gracing his lips. "And you got yourself in trouble by laughing at my stupid joke."

Hunter looked up victoriously. "So you admit that it was stupid!"

"It doesn't matter whether or not it was stupid, all the matters is that you laughed at it," Sebastian replied smugly.

Hunter scoffed "Whatever," he mumbled and looked away, suddenly remembering exactly how intoxicating being with Sebastian truly was. "What um, what are the plans for today anyway?" he looked up cautiously as he changed the subject.

Sebastian sighed deeply, looking down at his plate. "Well first I um, I have to go identify his body, yay," he said meekly. "Then I have to go home and meet with our family lawyer. You know, get his affairs in order."

"Have you decided what you're going to do with the house?" Hunter wondered.

Sebastian shrugged a little. "Probably sell it. No one's been inside in years anyway and it's a great house. No reason to let it go to waste."

"Does the Dean still live next door?"

Sebastian nodded, then smirked a little. "Don't worry, I'll make sure we're gone before he gets home from school. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble for ditching." Hunter laughed a little but said nothing. "Thanks, for coming with me today."

Hunter smiled gently at him. "Of course," he paused, then spoke quietly. "Anything for you."

Sebastian smiled lovingly at him, reached over the table, grabbed Hunter's hand, and brought it to his lips, kissing his fingertips lightly. With Hunter by his side, he could handle anything.

"This was his room?" Sebastian asked the nurse monotone. Hunter knew it was his way of keeping his emotions in check.

The young nurse didn't answer, too star struck to stop herself from staring at Sebastian. "I believe he asked you a question," Hunter found himself saying with a firmness that startled both the nurse and Sebastian. "How about we practice a little more professionalism and a little less staring?"

"Yes, of course," the nurse scrambled nervously. She grabbed the key from her pocket and unlocked the door for them. "My apologies," she said as she opened the door. Sebastian gave her a small but appreciative smile and walked into the room. She lingered by the door for a moment, as if waiting to see if Sebastian would speak to her. But one stern look from Hunter made her scurry off.

"You know," Sebastian spoke just above a whisper. "I've gotten so used to people staring at me that I don't even realize it when it happens."

"Yes well, this is a hospital, not a movie premier," Hunter said firmly. "She was being unprofessional. I should call her supervisor."

Sebastian glanced at him over his shoulder. "Leave her be, Hunter. It's not every day these people get to see a big celebrity roam their halls," he said, turning around with his arms opened wide as if he was the center of the universe, though there was a bitterness in his tone Hunter didn't miss, nor did he miss the tears that had started to well up in Sebastian's eyes.

Without any thought, Hunter crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Sebastian's torso in an embrace. Sebastian melted into him, hugging Hunter back for only a moment before pulling away, exhaling shakily. He turned around and took a good look at the room. There wasn't much in the room; a bed, a dresser, a small desk and a chair being the only furniture. What caught his attention was the bulletin board on the wall. There were newspaper clippings and pictures of Sebastian's successes tacked up, but in the middle of the board was a picture of his mother. Sebastian's blood boiled with anger and disgust. It was her fault his father was there in the first place and yet, his father could never seem to let her go. Sebastian turned away from the board and caught Hunter's gaze and suddenly the anger vanished. He could understand being unable to ever let his love go.

"Mr. Smythe."

Sebastian whipped his head around at the familiar voice, his heart plummeting. "Dr. Williams."

Dr. Williams offered a small smile. "It's lovely to see you again, young man," he said as he crossed the room to shake Sebastian's hand. "My apologies for the circumstances."

Sebastian shrugged a shoulder. "It's my fault for staying away," he said softly. He turned to Hunter and gave him a small nod. "This is my soulmate, Hunter Clarington. Hunter, this is my dad's doctor, has been for years."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Dr. Williams shook Hunter's hand.

"Likewise."

Dr. Williams turned back to Sebastian. "Are you ready?" Sebastian gulped and nodded. "Right this way."

Only the next of kin was allowed in the morgue so Hunter waited outside while Sebastian stood over his father's body. His heart was beating erratically as different emotions coursed through him; disappointment, anger, regret. Sebastian felt them all. "Did he go peacefully?" he found himself asking sounding more like a child than an adult.

"He passed in his sleep," Dr. Williams told him. "I believe he knew it was time."

Sebastian tore his eyes away from his father's sunken face. "How so?"

"We had a session the day of his passing. He was calmer than usual, more accepting I feel." Sebastian nodded but stayed quiet. "He spoke of you."

"He did?" Dr. Williams nodded. Sebastian looked back down at his father. "What did he say?"

"That he was proud of you," Dr. Williams said softly. "That he understood why you hadn't been to see him. That he hoped you would find your happiness where he didn't."

Sebastian breathed shakily. "Leave it to the old man to wait until the very end to be sentimental about me," he said with bitterness.

"Your father loved you very much, Sebastian. He was just too consumed by his darkness to show it."

Sebastian shook his head and turned away. "I've seen enough," he said, his tone hard. "The funeral home will contact you about the arrangements later today."

Dr. Williams nodded as he covered the body. "Understood." Sebastian looked over his shoulder once more before walking out of the room.

Sebastian was quiet the entire drive to his old house. Hunter had a hundred different questions burning through his head but he kept his mouth shut and held Sebastian's hand on top of his lap. Somewhere between the drive from the clinic to the Smythe home Sebastian had placed his hand on Hunter's knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. Hunter had looked up at him surprised and a little confused, and noticed the look on Sebastian's face. It was hard, questioning, and Hunter got the feeling that the gesture was less about being sweet and more Sebastian's way of ensuring that Hunter was actually there. Cautiously, Hunter had laid his hand on top and laced their fingers. Sebastian tensed for a moment, but then a soft smile crept up his face and Hunter knew he'd made the right choice.

By the time they pulled up to the Smythe home, the smile had disappeared from Sebastian's face and his grip on Hunter's hand tightened. Sebastian parked the car in the driveway but made no move to get out. Instead he stared up at the house, at his old bedroom window, and wondered how many ghosts he would encounter when he walked in.

"When was the last time you went inside?" Hunter asked, watching Sebastian's face as it stayed expressionless.

Sebastian inhaled deep and exhaled slowly. "When I was 13," he answered quietly. "The night they came and took him."

Hunter looked at him quizzically for any sign of emotion. "What about when you came to visit him those times he was out?"

"He didn't come home," Sebastian answered monotone. "He stayed in an authorized SSAA housing unit. If he got truly better they would've sent him home but he never did." Hunter nodded wordlessly. A car pulled up behind them and Sebastian pulled his hand away from Hunter's, immediately missing the warmth. "Let's get this over with," he muttered more to himself, his eyes on the rearview mirror watching their family lawyer step out of his car.

Sebastian stepped out and stood by Hunter's car. "Rick," he said in greeting to the balding man. He glanced over to his right just as Hunter reached his side, the faintest of smiles gracing his lips.

"Sebastian," Rick greeted tiredly. "It's good to see you." Sebastian grunted uncommitted making Rick clear his throat in discomfort. "Let's take this inside, shall we?"

"Actually, let's not," Sebastian rolled his eyes and slipped his hands into his pocket. "My lawyer has already gone over all the paperwork you faxed him and explained everything to me. I don't want the money. We'll use part of it to pay for the funeral and everything else is to be donated to the Columbus SSAA Clinic."

"Sebastian, are you sure-"

"I don't want the money," Sebastian repeated, turning away from Rick to look at the house. "I'm selling the house and donating everything inside. I just want to be done with it all."

"Sebastian, please," Rick implored with a sideways glance at Hunter who was watching Sebastian. "Please think about this. This is your home. You may regret selling later in life."

Sebastian shook his head. "This isn't my home; hasn't been in a long time. I have no use for it."

Rick took a step forward. "I strongly advise that you think this through," he urged but Sebastian hadn't really heard him, his eyes glued on the house. "Sebastian."

"I believe he's already made up his mind," Hunter said firmly, pulling Sebastian back from his memory. "Stop wasting our time and do as your client requests."

Rick opened his mouth but quickly shut it. Sebastian raised a brow at him and he sighed. "Fine. I'll get started on the paperwork and fax everything over."

"I need it by tomorrow." Sebastian turned to him and put his hand out palm side up. "Key?"

Rick shook his head in disapproval of Sebastian's decision and pulled a key right out of his jacket pocket. "Good luck in all your endeavors, Sebastian."

Sebastian barely acknowledged him, turning away the moment he had the key in his hand. With a short breath and not so much as a glance at Hunter, Sebastian walked up the driveway. He stopped at the front door but did not open it. Hunter laid a strong but gentle hand on Sebastian's back immediately centering the array of emotions going through. He closed his eyes, took a moment to breathe, and finally opened the door.

Sebastian felt like he was entering a dream. "Of all the times I imagined returning here, not once had they involved my father's death," he said just above a whisper, as if speaking too loud would disturb the house. He walked down the hall towards his mother's study, his heart pounding in his chest. Hunter followed close behind him, glancing around the home that once held all of Sebastian's hopes and dreams. The air was stale and filled with dust. Any warmth the home possessed was gone. All that was left were ghosts of the past. Sebastian stopped once he reached the door, slowly reaching for the doorknob to open. He felt his breath leave him as the door opened revealing the disaster inside. There were still books and papers thrown around the room, many of his mother's books destroyed because of his father's drunken stupor. "Wow. This place really has been empty since that night." He walked inside carefully, trying not to step on the papers on the floor. Hunter stood by the door watching Sebastian take everything in. Sebastian stopped at the couch and picked up one of the books. A sad smile graced his lips. "This one used to be my favorite," he whispered a bit brokenly. "It's what made me want to become an actor."

Hunter walked over to his side and glanced at the book. "Peter Pan?" He questioned.

Sebastian smiled a little, his fingers running over the cover. "I loved the idea of never growing old. I knew I could never actually be a little kid forever but with movies, there's a part of you that stays young forever, ya know?" he sideways glanced to see Hunter smiling adoringly at him. "Acting was my way of staying immortal I guess." Sebastian looked around the room and laughed humorlessly. "God, Hunter. What am I going to do with all of this? How am I going to clean up this place and have it packed by the end of the week?" Hunter shrugged a shoulder. Sebastian sighed, tossing the book on the desk and reaching for Hunter's hand. "Come on."

Together they walked up the stairs. Sebastian meant to go to his father's bedroom but instead he went to his. Just like the study, the bedroom had been untouched. The bed wasn't made and there were random pieces of clothes strewn all over the floor from when Sebastian had packed his life away to live next door. He walked over to the window and looked outside while Hunter took a seat at the edge of Sebastian's bed. "I use to stand here and watch the cars go by, wishing more than anything one of them was her," he spoke somberly. "It never was. And every time a car didn't stop I felt crushing disappointment. I can imagine what my father felt when he waited for her by the living room window." Sebastian turned around and breathed out a laugh. "There's a boy on my bed. That's a sight I never thought I'd see," he teased lightly though his face quickly dropped. He walked over to his bed and sat next to Hunter with his head down. "I don't know what to do. I know I said I wanted to sell but I don't even know where to begin. There's just so much."

"Why don't I go make some calls?" Hunter suggested. "Maybe we can get The Salvation Army to pick up all the clothes and furniture? And a cleaning crew to get the place ready to sell?"

Sebastian exhaled slowly and nodded. "Yeah, I guess that'd be best. We should get some boxes, pack up as much as we can tonight."

"Sounds like a plan."

Hunter stood up and held his hand out. Sebastian glanced at it for only a moment before taking it and allowing Hunter to lead him outside.

Between Hunter's forceful determination and Sebastian's money, they were able to get a cleaning crew to the house that afternoon. Sebastian stayed in the study packing up books with the door closed while Hunter directed the cleanup crew on where to go and what needed to be done. Sebastian could hear Hunter barking orders and it made him smile. Hunter had always been the 'boss' between the two of them and he was grateful that he didn't have to be in charge of anything right now. It wasn't in his heart to deal with people.

Sebastian spent hours in the study cleaning up and yet somehow, the study was still a disaster. He told himself it was because the mess had been so horrendous. But the truth of it was that he spent more time reminiscing about the past as he packed away his mother's books then actual cleaning. There was a moment between the memories and the ghosts where the world seemed to stand still. Sebastian had pulled a book off the shelf and tucked away behind it, hidden from the rest of the world, was a bottle of gin. He had slowly reached inside the shelf to grab the bottle, in a daze over what he'd found.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Sebastian ducked as his father threw another book his way, the bottle of gin held tightly in his father's hand. "YOU'RE THE REASON SHE LEFT!"

A gentle knock on the door tore Sebastian back from the memory of that night. Quickly he put the half empty bottle back in its hiding spot before turning towards the door as it opened. His heart was racing as if he was a child who had just been caught.

"They're done," Hunter said, his brow rising at the mess that was still on the floor. "And I see that you aren't even close to being done."

Sebastian chuckled a bit nervously. "Sorry. I um, I kept getting distracted."

Hunter nodded slowly. "Do you want help?" he asked, taking a step inside. "Or are you done for the day? We can always return tomorrow."

Sebastian looked away and shook his head. "I'm not ready to go yet. I was actually thinking of staying the night. You don't have to stay. I don't want you to miss work tomorrow."

Hunter sat in the arm of the chair that was furthest away from Sebastian and crossed his arms. "Unfortunately for you, you can't get rid of me that easily." Sebastian smiled a little but kept his vision down. "If you're staying here for the night then so am I."

"You don't have to, really," Sebastian assured him, looking up at Hunter through sad eyes.

"Yes, I do," Hunter said then sighed softly. "I'm going to grab some things from my apartment, get some dinner, then head back this way. Are you going to be alright until I get back?"

Sebastian scoffed. "I'm not an invalid, Hunter. I'll be fine."

"No, you aren't. But you just lost your father, Sebastian. Whatever your relationship with him, he was still your dad. It's perfectly normal not to be ok right now."

Sebastian breathed deeply, set the book he held back on the shelf, and walked over to Hunter with his hands in his pocket. "You're right. I'm not ok. But I can't do anything about it. I can't bring him back and I'm certainly not going to cry for him anymore. I justâI need some time alone. I need to allow myself to wallow in my misery while I clean up the mess he made out of his life and I can't do that with you here."

Hunter stood up, strong and tall, and it made Sebastian feel guilty. "Fine. I will leave you alone as you wish. But do not for a second think that you can push me away now. I'll be back in a few hours, ok?"

Sebastian nodded, his face down. "Thank you." Hunter offered him a small smile before walking out of the study, leaving Sebastian alone with his many demons.

Late that night, Hunter found himself walking down the dark hallway towards the study where the light could be seen through the bottom of the door. Sebastian had tossed and turned for hours, keeping both men awake, and only when he had settled down did Hunter fall asleep. But sleeping in Sebastian's old bed meant that there was limited space for them. It didn't take long for Hunter to feel the emptiness behind him and when he turned to find Sebastian gone, he got out of bed in search of him.

The study door was ajar so instead of knocking Hunter slowly pushed it open and peered inside. Sebastian was sitting at the desk with a bottle of liquor, staring at a glass he had poured. Hunter froze for a moment unsure of what he was supposed to do. "Sebastian?" He said cautiously. Sebastian seemed to be in a world of his own and Hunter had no idea how he would react, especially if he had been drinking.

"I watched my father drown his sorrows away with this stuff," Sebastian spoke quietly, his eyes glued on the glass as he swirled the liquid around. "I've always been more of a whiskey man myself, but he sure did love his gin."

Hunter walked into the study and took a seat in a chair in front of the desk. "Have you been drinking?"

Sebastian didn't answer right away, his expression cold and distant. "No," he answered flatly. "I thought about it though. You know, drink in his honor or some bullshit."

"What are you doing down here?"

Sebastian shrugged. "I found this while I was cleaning and I just...I don't know. Couldn't stop thinking about it I guess." Hunter looked at him worried but didn't say anything. "When we split and I moved out to LA, alcohol was the only thing that numbed the pain."

Hunter looked away with guilt. "Do you really think this is the best time to talk about this?"

"There's never going to be a good time to talk about this," Sebastian snapped unintentionally. He sighed and pushed the glass away. "I'm sorry. Being here brings out the worst in me and I just...," he looked up at Hunter, his eyes pleading, "I don't want to waste any more time with this lingering over our heads." Hunter nodded a little and Sebastian continued. "I was so angry, Hunter," his voice wavered. "I was angry with you for not giving me more of a chance and I was hurt that you were so quick to persecute me. But I was angrier with myself for giving up, for not fighting harder for us. And for that I'm truly sorry."

"What's done is done, Sebastian," Hunter said softly. "None of that matters anymore."

"But it does," Sebastian insisted. "And it always will unless I tell you why I did what I did."

"You mean Blaine?"

"I mean everything," Sebastian sighed. "Drinking...it made life so much easier. It helped me ignore the pain and the guilt, and I was able to pretend like everything between us hadn't happened, that we hadn't met and that I still had a chance to make you fall in love with me. But it also made everything so much worse because when I sobered up, every emotion I felt, every regret and questionable choice I made haunted me until I exploded and I tore my apartment apart." Sebastian looked around the study and laughed humorlessly. "Like father like son I guess." Sebastian paused and Hunter simply stared at his love, his own guilt over what happened between them gnawing away at him. "I never slept with anyone else after us but I...I fooled around a lot. In the bathroom, in the parking lot, anywhere I could get a quick blow job really. I got addicted to it; the feeling of being so close to someone, the feeling of letting go and falling. What I hadn't realized was that I was falling into the same black hole my father fell into. And when the pain of it all started to be too much for me, I'd get drunk all over again. It was a vicious cycle."

"And that's where Blaine came in?" Hunter questioned.

Sebastian nodded. "That's where Blaine came in. He saw it happening and in his attempt to help me he wound up getting lost in it himself. Seeing him fall, watching him go through the same steps of getting addicted on the high that came from connecting with someone that wasn't meant to his, it was a bit of a wakeup call. I felt terrible for putting him in a situation where he started to lose himself, and all because I was being stubborn and stupid. So when he suggested that we should date I figured it was a good way to keep him in check. I was still in denial. I didn't believe...I didn't want to believe that I needed help." Hunter shifted in his seat, watching Sebastian intently whose vision was once again on the glass of gin. "There was one time where I justâcompletely lost myself. The guys were on tour and Blaine was gone and I had no one. I drank myself into a stupor and before I truly realized what was happening, I was on top of the roof of my building looking over the city." Sebastian looked up at Hunter, his eyes haunted with a secret no one knew. "I watched the cars go by, all the people who were living their lives and I knew that if I jumped, no one would care."

Hunter's breath hitched. "Sebastian."

Sebastian shook his head and looked away. "I stood on that ledge just wishing that I would lose my balance, that a gust of wind would give me the push I needed to just let go. I couldn't do it though and I was so angry with myself for not ending it all. I hated myself, Hunter, and I blamed you for it."

"I'm sorry," Hunter spoke in a whisper, his eyes downcast. The guilt he had been feeling the last few months grew tenfold and he wished more than anything that he could take it all back.

Sebastian breathed deeply. "Come here, darling," he said gently. Hunter glanced up to see Sebastian holding his hand out to him. Silently he stood and walked over to Sebastian, shocked when Sebastian pulled him down to sit on his lap. Sebastian looked deep into Hunter's eyes. "Don't apologize. Blaming you was easier than blaming myself. And you know what? It was the thought of you that led me off that ledge."

Hunter let out a shaky breath, resting his head on Sebastian's and wrapping his arms around his neck. Sebastian closed his eyes and allowed himself to be engulfed in Hunter's scent.

"Blaine came home a few days after that and found me in shambles," Sebastian continued, pulling away slightly. "I was a mess, the worst I had ever been. When I sobered up, I knew it was time for a change. That's when I checked into rehab."

"Were you drinking still when I saw you at Trent and Billy's wedding?" Hunter wondered, vividly remembering how angry he'd been at them and how he'd punched Blaine.

Sebastian shook his head. "No, I hadn't for a while. But I picked it back up after that. I'm a binge drinker, Hunter. When things get rough or I need to ignore the world for a little while, I get drunk. I haven't had a drop since the night I emailed you to join me in London, but I had been drinking for about a month beforehand. This is something I'm always going to struggle with. This is my burden to carry for rest of my life."

"You're wrong," Hunter stated plainly. "This is our burden, and I'm going to help you through it."

Sebastian smiled a little, the weight of his demons finally lifting off his shoulders. "I love you, Hunter, more than anything in this world."

"I love you too." Hunter barely got the words out before his lips attached themselves to Sebastian's. Sebastian hummed in surprise but instantly melted in it. Everything around them seemed to disappear and Sebastian knew they were going to be ok.

Hunter spent most of his day in a daze, partly because Sebastian and he had stayed up all night talking about their past and partly because he was still in shock that they hadn't fought. That had been his biggest worry. But as they opened old wounds and talked of their past mistakes, it strengthened their bond, their foundation, and led them to the correct path of recovery. Hunter felt as though a giant boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. He was no longer being crushed by regret and heartbreak, and he felt like he could breathe again. He knew now what it took to be Sebastian's soulmate, what it took to be the man Sebastian needed, and he was grateful for the opportunity to do so. He would never question Fate again.

Hunter was sitting at the back of the rehearsal room as the Warblers fine-tuned their moves, lost in his own world, when he heard the commotion down the hall. He could hear several students yelling excitedly but it wasn't until it reached their door that he found out why.

"Good morning, gentlemen." Hunter's jaw dropped in shock as Sebastian walked in with his ever present smirk. He looked around the room as the boys began to lose their cool, winked at Hunter who was still staring with his jaw agape, then turned towards the crowd of boys behind the double doors. "Sorry, fellows, Warblers only," he said with a shrug as he reached for both doors to close. "Man, I missed this place," he chuckled as he turned back around to the group of boys. "So what are we working on today?" The Warblers were too shocked to answer right away so Sebastian looked over at Hunter and smiled mischievously. "Hey there, darling," he flirted. "How's your day going?"

Hunter finally stood from his seat shaking his head. "What are you doing here?"

Sebastian shrugged a little as he walked over to Hunter. "I thought I'd surprise you."

Hunter smiled a little, completely unaware of the room full of boys, too lost in his love for Sebastian to pay them any mind. "Have I ever told you that I hate surprises?" he said as they drew closer.

Sebastian kept his eyes locked on Hunter's, wrapping his arms around Hunter's waist and pulling him close. "That sucks because I love surprising you," he all but purred. Hunter blushed deeply and shook his head, a wide smile on his lips.

"Um, Mr. Clarington?"

Hunter was torn out from his Sebastian induced haze and turned towards his students, his cheek turning impossibly red. "Gentlemen," he said then cleared his throat, pulling away from Sebastian much to Sebastian's amusement. "I'd like you all meet your Warbler brother, Sebastian Smythe."

"I'm also his soulmate, in case anyone was wondering," Sebastian winked at them, slipping his hands in his pockets.

"Well now we know why Mr. C hates you, Mark," one boy said with a laugh, the other laughing along while Mark looked down in embarrassment.

Sebastian looked at Hunter questioningly but Hunter simply shook his head. "Yes, this is my soulmate," he said instead. "And I know I don't have to remind you boys not to say anything, correct?"

"Yes, sir," the boys said simultaneously.

"But if he's your soulmate then why aren't you bonded?" A senior boy asked. "Didn't you go here together?"

"No, actually," Sebastian answered. "I graduated the year before Hunter arrived. We aren't bonded because we were young and stupid and made some poor choices," Sebastian glanced at Hunter with adoring eyes. "And I'm here to make things right." A few boys cooed while Hunter rolled his eyes, though he wore a small smile. "I'm also here to make sure you guys kick some New Directions ass."

"Aren't you friends with Kurt Hummel though?" one boy asked.

Sebastian scoffed good-naturedly. "Friend? More like brothers. He's every bit my brother as you guys are and I'm telling you right now that boy could out sing all of you, which is why I'm here. I heard you're doing Michael Jackson. I want to help." The boys chattered excitedly. Sebastian walked over to the councilmen's desk and took a seat in the middle chair. "Let's see what you've got."

Sebastian stayed at Dalton for most of the day, leaving later that afternoon and driving straight to McKinley High. His plan had been to visit Kurt at home but he'd woken up in such a good mood that he couldn't help but want to surprise Kurt the way he had Hunter. Their night had been long and emotional, and he should be exhausted. But instead he felt liberated. It was the best he'd felt in a long time and he refused to question it.

It was close to the end of glee club rehearsal so the school was empty with the exception of the New Directions. He tried following the map McKinley's online website provided but ultimately he ended up walking around aimlessly until the sound of screaming voices caught his attention. He could clearly hear Kurt's shrill voice above all the others so he quickened his pace to get a glimpse of the drama Kurt was always referring to. Quietly he stood by the door, amused by the argument he walked in on.

"YOU CAN'T AGREE WITH ME ONE SECOND THEN TELL ME I'M WRONG THE NEXT!" Kurt shouted, flailing one arm at Rachel while Finn held him by the other.

"Kurt, I simply suggested that you-"

"YOU CAN SHOVE YOUR SUGGESTION UP YOUR ASS!" Kurt ripped himself out of Finn's grip and crossed his arms defiantly. "My song and my vocals are flawless, and I don't need your 'help' screwing me up." Sebastian let out a laugh by the door and everyone turned. "Sebastian?" Kurt gasped wide eyed.

"What's up, Hummel," Sebastian nodded at Kurt then turned to Finn. "Hey, boyfriend," he winked.

Finn was the first to react. "Dude!" he jumped excitedly then ran to the door. "What's up?!"

Sebastian gave Finn a high five and laughed. "Just dropping in to say hey." Kurt came up behind Finn and pushed him aside, making Sebastian laugh harder as Kurt threw his arms around Sebastian's neck. "It's good to see you too, Kurt. Although it's only been a few days."

"What are you doing here?" Kurt asked as they parted.

"He's spying, obviously," Rachel answered, completely unimpressed by the movie star in front of them.

The others however, were all shocked to silence, Zizes slapping Puck continuously on the shoulder and pointing at Sebastian with her jaw agape. Mr. Schue took the opportunity to end rehearsal. He was tired and he was done listening to his students argue about the same thing. He gathered his things while the New Directions asked for Sebastian's autograph and shoved them out of the door before walking to his car. Kurt had to pry his girls off of Sebastian and ignored their pleas to tag along. He knew Sebastian wouldn't be there unless something was wrong so he took them somewhere private where they could talk.

Sebastian walked with Kurt to the nearby park, smiling with amusement as Kurt rattled excitedly. They sat on the picnic table hidden behind some trees and finally Sebastian told Kurt why he was in Ohio. Kurt's entire demeanor changed instantly.

"I can't believe your dad died," Kurt spoke quietly with his head down, unable to look at Sebastian, the all too familiar feeling of loss bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

Sebastian nodded a little and sighed. "Yep." He glanced over at Kurt, a gentle smile on his lips. "I haven't told Blaine yet."

Kurt looked up at him surprised. "Why not?"

Sebastian shrugged a shoulder. "Because I know what he would say." Kurt raised an inquisitive brow. "He'd apologize and tell me that everything is going to be ok and that he's there if I need to talk. And then he'd pester me until he felt that I was truly doing alright," he said knowingly. "I'm not quite ready for Blaine's, I'm here for you, speech."

"Why did you tell me?" Kurt wondered, honored that Sebastian had trusted him enough to let him in.

"Because you know what it's like to lose a parent," Sebastian simply put. "You know that saying I'm sorry or trying to get me to open up about it won't do anything but upset me."

Kurt nodded understandingly. "What about Hunter? Have you spoken with him?"

Sebastian smiled at him. "Where do you think I've been staying?"

"Really?" Kurt said, a wide smile spreading across his face. "How's that going?"

"It's going great actually," Sebastian replied with a chuckle. "We finally talked about everything and it didn't turn into World War III," he joked lightly. "It's been amazing being with him again. It's going to suck having to go back."

"When do you leave?"

"Friday night," Sebastian said with a sad sigh. "I'm sure you'll understand why I won't be seeing you again," he smirked.

Kurt smiled softly at him. "Yeah I get it. I'm just happy you came to see me at all." Sebastian shoulder bumped him. "There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about. Or ask you rather. About our time in London."

Sebastian raised a brow at him. "What about London?"

Kurt sighed deeply. "Well, I kinda felt like I lost myself."

"How so?"

"I don't know," Kurt shrugged. "I just felt like I couldn't truly be me. Like I was wearing a hat that said, Famous adjacent: treat me different, written all over it. I didn't really realize it either until we were home and no-one was watching my every move."

"Have you talked to Blaine about this?"

Kurt shook his head. "No because I already know what's he's going to say," he smirked. "He's going to tell me that I don't have to be anyone other than myself and then he's going to feel bad like it's his fault. You know how Blaine is."

Sebastian laughed a little. "Yeah I know how he is."

"And I just...I don't know. How do you deal with it?" Kurt asked him. "How do you handle having to be someone else around the media and the fans?"

"It's acting, Kurt," Sebastian told him. "Blaine could tell you all he wants that it doesn't matter or that you don't have to be somebody you're not, and he'd be right. But even he can't say that he doesn't act a certain way in the eyes of the media or the fans. He has to, we all do. It comes with the territory. What you have to remember is that the person they make you out to be isn't the person you are. You have to keep in mind that when you walk out into the public eye, you're acting. The world is our stage, Kurt. We decide what show to put on. There's always going to be someone criticizing you but for that one person, there's a handful more praising you." Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "You just gotta take it one day at a time. It's the only thing we can do."

Kurt sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Sebastian laughed a little and put his arm around Kurt. "I'm always right, young padawan." Kurt sent him an unimpressed glare. "Come on, let's get out of here. I promised Finn I'd hang out with him too." Kurt and Sebastian stood up and started walking back to the school. Sebastian side eyed him. "By the way, what songs are you guys singing at Nationals?"

Kurt smirked and shook his head. "Uh-uh, no way. I didn't tell Blaine what we're doing and I'm certainly not going to tell you."

Sebastian snapped his fingers. "Damn. Oh well, looks like we're going to have to beat you the old fashioned way then."

Kurt through his head back in laughter. "In your dreams, Smythe. Your boys aren't going to know what hit them."

"When will I see you again?"

Sebastian sighed and shrugged a shoulder. It was late Friday night and his cab was outside of Hunter's apartment waiting for him. He hated that he had to leave. The week had been wonderful despite the circumstances. The funeral for his father was small and private, his childhood home was up for sale, and his time with Hunter was everything he could've hoped for and more. They hadn't done more than cuddle and sneak a kiss here and there, but nothing more was needed. Simply being together was enough. Leaving Hunter behind however, now that they were finally in a good place, felt completely wrong.

"I'm not sure," Sebastian said over his shoulder. "I've used two weeks' worth of vacation time already. I don't know when they'll let me off again."

Hunter exhaled slowly. "I understand," his voice cracked a little. "We're just going to have to Skype every chance we get."

Sebastian zipped his luggage closed then turned around to Hunter. "We're going to get through this." Sebastian held his hand out and Hunter took it with no hesitation. He pulled Hunter close and embraced him, inhaling deeply and allowing his senses to be filled. "We've been through hell and back, Hunter. We've fought and denied each other, yet somehow we still managed to make it here, to this point." Sebastian pulled back and held Hunter's face in his hands. "I love you, Hunter Nolan Clarington. You are my soulmate and nothing will ever change that."

"I love you too, Sebastian Thomas Smythe," Hunter said with a long sigh. "We're going to be ok."

Sebastian leaned in and gave Hunter a quick but loving kiss. He knew if he kissed him too long he'd miss his flight. "I'll call you when I land," he breathed against Hunter's lips.

"You better," Hunter replied with a sad smile, reluctantly letting him go. Sebastian grabbed his luggage then walked over to the front door. He glanced over his shoulder to Hunter, sent him one last smile, and left. Hunter walked over to his couch, took a seat, and let out a long deep breath. His apartment felt empty without Sebastian, he felt empty. Now what was he supposed to do?

A/N: See ya next time my darlings, hopefully sooner rather than later.

NOT AN UPDATE! AUTHOR'S NOTE!

This is it, the day everyone has dreaded. And by everyone I really just mean myself. I am sorry to say that I will no longer be writing fanfiction. It's taken me months to finally accept this as truth but I've also known for longer that I lost my connection to my stories. I love Klaine and Glee, and always will, but I've moved on from the fandom. I've tried desperately to finish this fic as well but I simply don't have it in me to continue. I am truly sorry for keeping you guys hanging but I can't hold onto the hope that I'll one day finish when I know I won't.

What does mean for my fics?

Well, with the exception of A Change of Heart and this one, I'm taking the rest down. I will be handing this account over to GleekMom since she co-wrote ACOH with me. She will not continue ALMC for me either. It was never her type of story and I certainly don't expect her to write the rest of it so please, please don't bug her too much about it. I'm simply leaving it up because it was my favorite to write and I do hate to lose all the hard work I put into it. She will be more than welcomed to post under this account if she wants though. If she so chooses to post on here, I implore you to read her stuff. She's truly an amazing writer.

It was fun while it lasted guys. Thank you so much for the years of support. If you have any questions about how ALMC ends or anything else really, you can find me on tumblr at StarGleekBelle. I love you all.

-Belle-


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